On 1 December 2022, Dr. Kunio Mikuriya, the Secretary General of the World Customs Organization (WCO), spoke at the Roundtable “Bringing continents together: Supporting new visions and opportunities for sustainable transport connectivity between Europe and Asia”, organized by the think tank “New Direction - The Foundation for European Reform”, at the European Parliament in Brussels, Belgium.

The roundtable saw the the participation of several Members of the European Parliament, the Minister of Digital Development and Transport of Azerbaijan and EU officials. The discussions focused on the transport corridor connecting Central Asian and South Caucasus countries. Dr. Mikuriya confirmed the critical role that Customs plays in ensuring sustainable connectivity along the corridor. He stressed the importance of digitalization of transport documents and border procedures, based on WCO standards, including railway guidelines and other transit tools, which would reduce time and cost, thereby contributing to further trade and transport facilitation. He maintained that harmonization of digital Customs procedures in the Central Asia and South Caucasus region, together with Türkiye could be of great benefit for sustainable transport connectivity.