• World Customs Organization Secretary General Ian Saunders met with Azerbaijan’s Prime Minister Ali Asadov, Minister of Foreign Affairs Jeyhun Bayramov, and Chairman of the State Customs Committee, Shahin Baghirov.
• The Secretary General shared the importance of the WCO to its member Customs Administrations.
• He also provided recognition to Azerbaijan for its longstanding role in WCO affairs, as well as hosting three regional entities.

World Customs Organization Secretary General Ian Saunders was received by the government of Azerbaijan. The visit included high-level engagements in Baku with the country’s Prime Minister, its Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the State Customs Committee. During the engagement, the Secretary General recognized Azerbaijan’s contributions to the larger WCO Membership. In addition, he discussed key areas of cooperation with the WCO and recognized key advances in Azerbaijan’s Customs modernization.

Cooperation

During the Secretary General’s visit, he met separately with Ali Asadov, Prime Minister, and Jeyhun Bayramov, Minister of Foreign Affairs for Azerbaijan. During these meetings, the Secretary General thanked Azerbaijan for its long-standing commitment to the WCO. The Secretary General emphasized the strategic and increasingly important role of Customs in achieving trade facilitation and supply chain security along with its traditional revenue mission. He also discussed the importance of continuing to strengthen the WCO-Azerbaijan relationship on Customs matters and recognized Azerbaijan’s commitment to improving Customs’ effectiveness through information exchange and digital innovation.

Innovation

The Secretary General had the opportunity to visit the Azerbaijan State Customs Committee, which is headquartered in Baku. The organization showcased Azerbaijan’s advancements in bringing greater efficiencies to Customs processes, all of which reflect a focus on implementing WCO standards. The SCS shared its recent employment of artificial intelligence to evaluate hazards, security threats, and compliance risks. The State Customs Committee also noted that Azerbaijan’s Customs clearance process is now fully automated.

While visiting the SCS, the Secretary General met with staff at the facility. He shared his views on new approaches to customs development, the evolving challenges facing Customs administrations, and the World Customs Organization’s ongoing initiatives and strategic priorities.He also thanked the staff for their commitment to public service in roles that are some of the most important and challenging in government.

Summing up his views on the engagement, Secretary General said, “I greatly appreciate the opportunity to hear from senior representatives of the State Customs Committee of Azerbaijan. This visit has been particularly beneficial to see the concrete results of digital transformation in Customs at a time when the demands placed upon Customs administrations worldwide are increasing. Seeing operational adaption of these technologies is extremely positive, as a real-world demonstration of the pursuit of modern, efficient and consistent Customs.”

Azerbaijan at the WCO

Azerbaijan joined the Convention establishing the Customs Co-operation Council (WCO) in 1992, later acceding to the Harmonized System Convention and the Kyoto Convention in 2000 and 2002 respectively.

Azerbaijan plays an active and longstanding role in WCO affairs, hosting three regional structures: the Regional Office for Capacity Building (ROCB) Europe, a Regional Training Centre (RTC), and a Regional Dog Training Centre (RDTC). Currently Azerbaijan has one accredited expert each in the fields of customs modernization and strategic trade controls. More recently, the WCO/JICA Risk Management Master Trainer Programme produced two Azerbaijani Master Trainers. Azerbaijan also participated in the Central Asia and Caucasus Security Project, which focused on interdicting small arms and light weapons, and concluded in March 2026.