Mr. Alexander Mora, Minister of Foreign Trade of Costa Rica, met with the WCO Secretary General Kunio Mikuriya on 12 November 2015.
They discussed a wide range of trade issues, including the implementation of the WTO Agreement on Trade Facilitation and regional integration in Central America. Minister Mora explained his country’s priorities on a regional basis, including simplification of border procedures, establishment of joint border posts and digital platforms to enable the exchange of information.
Secretary General Mikuriya explained the WCO approach on Coordinated Border Management, including establishing National Committees on Trade Facilitation where Ministry of Foreign Trade and Customs can work together in partnership, as well as the use of Time Release Studies involving stakeholders from both public and private sectors to identify bottlenecks.
Both parties found the discussion useful and agreed to continue to explore the future cooperation in improving border management.
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Photo (from left to right): Mrs. Marcela Chavarria, General Director Ministry of Foreign Trade of Costa Rica, Mr. Sergio Mujica, WCO Deputy secretary General, Mr. Alexander Mora, Minister of Foreign Trade of Costa Rica, Mr. Kunio Mikuriya, WCO Secretary General, Mr. Istvan Alfaro, Ambassador of Costa Rica to Belgium and the European Union, and Mr. Alejandro Patiño, Costa Rica's Head of Trade for Belgium, EU and OECD Affairs.