WCO Secretary General visits
Armenia
to discuss Customs reform
22 to 23 October 2009
Report
At the invitation of Mr. Gagik Khachatryan, Chairman of the State Revenue Committee in Armenia, the Secretary General of the WCO, Kunio Mikuriya, visited Yervan (Armenia) on 22 and 23 October 2009. Armenian Customs joined the WCO Columbus Programme last year and has since been making steady progress.
The Secretary General met Armenia’s Prime Minister, Mr. Tigran Sargsyan, to discuss the current state of Customs and the way forward for Customs reform. Mr. Mikuriya also met His Excellency, the President of the Republic of Armenia, Mr. Serzh Sargsyan, who greatly appreciated the visit by the WCO and assured the Secretary General of his high-level political support for further Customs reform in his country. Mr. Mikuriya in turn emphasized that efficient border procedures would facilitate trade with neighbouring countries and open up the potential for further economic cooperation in the region.
There was wide media coverage in Armenia over the WCO Secretary General’s visit which generated great interest in Customs modernization and its role in economic development and future regional integration.