No: 309/26 Press Release on the Meeting of Minister Jeyhun Bayramov with Secretary General of the World Customs Organization Ian Saunders
13 July 2026 17:12
On 13 July, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Azerbaijan Jeyhun Bayramov held a meeting with Secretary General of the World Customs Organization (WCO) Ian Saunders.
At the meeting, the current state and prospects of cooperation between Azerbaijan and the World Customs Organization, the facilitation of international trade, border security, the digitalization of customs systems, the fight against illicit trade, strengthening the resilience of supply chains, and capacity building in the customs field were discussed.
Emphasizing that Azerbaijan attaches special importance to effective cooperation with the WCO, Minister Jeyhun Bayramov provided information on the reforms being carried out in the customs field in our country, the expansion of transit opportunities, and the work being done towards the facilitation of international trade. It was noted that Azerbaijan's contribution to the development of the East-West and North-South transport corridors plays an important role in strengthening regional and global trade relations.
Minister Jeyhun Bayramov provided the other side with detailed information on the new regional realities, the peace process, and the reconstruction works and infrastructure projects being carried out in our liberated territories.
The Minister touched upon the large-scale projects being implemented towards further strengthening our country's position as an important transport and logistics hub of Eurasia. In this regard, it was noted that the increase in the capacity of the Baku-Tbilisi-Kars railway line, the development of the Middle Corridor, the expansion of the Baku International Sea Trade Port, and the operation of the Alat Free Economic Zone, as a result of which Azerbaijan's growing role in international supply chains is creating new opportunities in terms of enhancing the efficiency of customs procedures and facilitating trade.
The sides emphasized the importance of strengthening international customs cooperation, applying innovative technologies, and further developing information exchange and institutional cooperation.
The meeting also featured an exchange of views on other issues of mutual interest.
