At the headquarters of the World Customs Organization (WCO) in Brussels, a conference of customs service leaders from the European region member countries of the WCO was held. The event was attended by a delegation from the State Customs Service of Turkmenistan, led by Deputy Head of the Service, M. Mukhammadov.
One of the key agenda items was the consideration of the proposal to grant the Training Center at the State Customs Service of Turkmenistan the status of the WCO Regional Training Center. A detailed presentation on this matter was delivered by Kerim Akhmedov, a representative of the customs service, who informed participants about the center’s modernized infrastructure, its technical capabilities, educational programs, and digital platforms that meet international standards.
As noted, the strategic development plan for the Center was prepared in cooperation with the WCO and received the official approval of the European Regional Capacity Building Office (ROCB). The Training Center already has experience in conducting regional training sessions and is fully prepared to perform the functions of a WCO Regional Training Center.
During the Turkmen presentation, the Turkmen delegation emphasized that recognizing the center would contribute to strengthening regional cooperation and improving the quality of personnel training in the customs field.
As part of the presentation, participants were shown a video that highlighted Turkmenistan’s efforts to modernize its customs system, including modern classrooms, digital platforms, and experience exchange events.
Following the Turkmen delegation’s speech, the representatives of the participating countries unanimously supported Turkmenistan’s proposal.
Turkmenistan’s Ambassador to Belgium, Sapar Palvanov, also took the floor and expressed his gratitude to all participants for their active attention and unanimous support of the initiative. He stressed that Turkmenistan, located between two continents and serving as a stable and reliable bridge between Asia and Europe, is fully aware of the high responsibility that comes with recognizing a center of regional level. He noted that the specialists trained at this center will undoubtedly make a practical contribution to the development of international trade and logistics, especially between Asia and Europe.
Thus, the conference marked an important step toward the official recognition of the Training Center. The next stage will be the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding between the WCO and the State Customs Service of Turkmenistan at the annual session of the WCO Council in June of this year.
