Turkmenistan is strongly considering its accession to the Convention on Temporary Admission (the Istanbul Convention, signed in Istanbul on 26 June 1990). In view of this, the World Customs Organization (WCO) delivered a High-Level Workshop for the State Customs Service of Turkmenistan and all relevant ministries and agencies. The Workshop dealt with the process and benefits of accession to this important Convention, and was delivered online on 15 December 2020, with the support of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Turkmenistan and the Embassy of Turkmenistan in Brussels, Belgium. It was attended by the representatives of the Assembly (Mejlis) of Turkmenistan, Ministry of Justice, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Finance and Economics, Ministry of Trade and Foreign Economic Relations, Ministry of Health and Medical Industry, the State Customs Service, State Border Service, “Turkmenawtoulaglary”, “Turkmenhowaýollary”, “Turkmendemirýollary” and Turkmendeňizderýaýollary” Agencies, the Union of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs, Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Turkmenistan from Turkmenistan, and the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC).
The main objective of the Workshop was to provide a clear and precise understanding of the rules and provisions of the Istanbul Convention. This included information on the structure of the Convention and its benefits, the concept of the ATA Carnet system and its implementation process, the rights and obligations of Contracting Parties, as well as the specific steps needed for accession to the Istanbul Convention.
The WCO expert introduced the background to the Convention and its relationship with existing conventions on temporary admission, outlined the Convention structure (a main body and 13 Annexes), the temporary admission process using the ATA Carnet, the necessary steps for accession to the Convention, as well as the relationship between the requirements of the Convention and national legislations. The ICC, which is responsible for implementation of the ATA Carnet, provided detailed information about the ATA system, international guaranteeing chain, practical usage of the ATA Carnet, and the procedure for security and claims.
At the end of the one-day Workshop, the WCO expert expressed his appreciation and underlined the readiness of the WCO to support the State Customs Service of Turkmenistan in its path towards accession to the Istanbul Convention. At the same time, the participants expressed their satisfaction and highlighted the relevance and timeliness of this Workshop.