A round table was held in Ashgabat on the practical implementation of the World Customs Organization (WCO) guidelines on the mutual recognition of authorized economic operators (AEOs) in the region of Central Asia and the South Caucasus, reports the website of the State Customs Service of Turkmenistan.

The event was held in a hybrid format as part of the visit of the Executive Secretary of the International Center for Transport Diplomacy at the UN, Igor Runov, to Turkmenistan. The discussion was attended by WCO experts, representatives of the UN and the TRACECA secretariat, as well as customs authorities of the countries of Central Asia, Azerbaijan and Georgia.

Representatives of the Foreign Ministry, the State Customs Service and the Agency of Transport and Communications under the Cabinet of Ministers participated in the meeting from Turkmenistan.

The purpose of the discussion was to identify opportunities for implementing at the regional level the main provisions of the WCO System of Framework Standards to ensure security and facilitate international trade.

Participants assessed the activities of existing agreements on mutual recognition of AEOs and presented the experience of regional agreements in South Africa, the Middle East and Europe. Representatives of the Moldavian customs also shared their experience.

There was also a discussion of the concept of creating a regional agreement on mutual recognition of AEOs in Eurasia.