As Turkmenistan is considering Accession to the Harmonized System Convention, the World Customs Organization (WCO) delivered a Workshop on the process and benefits of the accession to the Harmonized System for the State Customs Service of Turkmenistan, with the support of the Embassy of Turkmenistan in Brussels, Belgium. The Workshop was delivered online over three days from 29 June to 1 July 2020.
During the seminar, a representative of the World Customs Organization discussed with representatives of the State Customs Service of Turkmenistan the consequences of joining the Harmonized System (HS) Convention and the benefits that the country will receive as a result.
Currently, Turkmenistan uses the Nomenclature of the Commonwealth of Independent States, based on the sixth edition of the HS. While they already use the HS, they do not enjoy the rights of a Contracting Party, such as participating in the Harmonized System Committee and its sub-committees in order to take part in discussion and decisions related to the classification of goods and the future of the HS.
In addition, the Workshop discussed the application of the General Interpretative Rules and issues associated with the classification of goods. Recent decisions taken at the Harmonized System Committee and the characteristics of goods that influenced their adoption were also discussed. During the online sessions, participants in the administration of Turkmenistan were actively involved asking questions and discussing possible solutions.
At the end of the three-day workshop, the participants expressed their satisfaction and highlighted the relevance and timeliness of the training, in the light of the process of their country’s accession to HS Convention.