Uzbekistan and Türkiye Discuss Expansion of Cooperation and Digitalization of Customs Procedures

Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.com) — The fifth meeting of the Uzbekistan–Türkiye Joint Customs Council was held in Khiva.

The event was attended by Akmalhodzha Mavlonov, Chairman of the State Customs Committee of the Republic of Uzbekistan, and Sezai Uçarmak, Deputy Minister of Trade of Türkiye and Head of the Turkish Customs Service.

Opening the meeting, the head of the Uzbek agency welcomed the guests and emphasized the symbolic significance of holding the event in Khiva, an ancient city known as an “open-air museum.” He noted that thanks to the open and friendly relations established by the President of Uzbekistan with the Turkish leadership, cooperation between the two countries is dynamically developing across all areas, from politics and economics to culture and humanitarian ties.

Since the first Joint Council meeting in 2018, bilateral trade between Uzbekistan and Türkiye has increased by 35% — from US$1.9 billion to US$2.6 billion by the end of 2024. Despite the challenging global economic situation, these results are considered very high. At the same time, both sides expressed confidence that deepening cooperation will achieve even more significant outcomes.

The meeting discussed the implementation of the Agreement on the Exchange of Preliminary Information on Goods and Vehicles, signed in 2022, as well as practical aspects of its execution. Participants also examined issues related to the exchange of statistical data in foreign trade. In particular, statistical discrepancies were clarified at a meeting in Samarkand in September 2024, and the next meeting on this topic is scheduled to take place in Türkiye.

Special attention was given to the mutual recognition of Authorized Economic Operators. This issue was discussed at the meeting of customs heads of the member states of the Organization of Turkic States in Kazakhstan in September of this year. The bilateral agreement is currently under review by the Turkish side. Over the past five years, the volume of foreign trade conducted by Uzbekistan’s Authorized Economic Operators has increased from US$1.3 billion to US$2.7 billion.

The parties also reviewed the implementation of the Joint Cooperation Plan for 2025–2026. Uzbekistan proposed intensifying the exchange of international inquiries between customs authorities. Over the past three years, thanks to responses from the Turkish side, an additional 6.1 billion soms were credited to Uzbekistan’s budget, although participants noted that the potential remains significantly higher.

Among the topics discussed was the simplification of export declaration verification procedures. Türkiye has successfully implemented the “Paperless Customs in Exports” project, which has reduced fraud. Uzbekistan proposed introducing a similar system with the ability to check declarations via QR codes, which would accelerate processing and reduce costs for businesses.

The prospects for cooperation between customs laboratories and canine units of the two countries were also considered.

At the conclusion of the meeting, the heads of the customs authorities of Uzbekistan and Türkiye signed a Protocol summarizing the results of the Council held in Khiva.