Facilitation of Regional Transit Trade in Central Asia Regional Economic Cooperation: Testing Phase of CATS and ICE
On 3rd October, high-level customs officials from selected CAREC countries signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) in Baku to implement pilot testing activities of the CAREC Advanced Transit System and Information Common Exchange that will simplify transit documentation and procedures and promote intra-regional trade among these CAREC countries. Shahin Baghirov, Chairman of the State Customs Committee of Azerbaijan delivered opening remarks, while Lyaziza Sabyrova, Regional Head of Regional Cooperation and Integration, CWRD, and Antonio Lo Parco, Director of Regional Office for Capacity Building of the World Customs Organization Europe Region welcomed the participants. At the sidelines of the signing ceremony, members of the three working groups under the MOU—Legal and Regulatory, Information and Communication Technology, and Customs Control Facilitation—also met to discuss the pilot system design implementation procedures and way forward. Regional transit development remains one of the priority areas of the CAREC Customs Cooperation Committee.
Key Document
Session 1 Background and Main Objectives of CATS ICE | RU
Session 2 Importance of Developing Efficient Transit Regimes | RU
Session 3 Transit Capacity Building | RU
Session 6 Technical Overview of the CATS ICE System | RU
Supported under KSTA 9824: Better Customs for Better Client Services in Central Asia Regional Economic Cooperation Countries, co-funded by the Regional Cooperation and Integration Fund; the PRC Poverty Reduction and Regional Cooperation Fund; United Kingdom Fund for Asia Regional Trade and Connectivity, and Republic of Korea e-Asia and Knowledge Partnership Fund.