From 28 to 30 January 2022, at the invitation of the Chairman of the State Customs Committee of Azerbaijan, Mr. Safar Mehdiyev, the WCO Secretary General, Dr. Kunio Mikuriya, attended a celebration in Baku to mark the 30th anniversary of the establishment of the Azerbaijan Customs Service.
Secretary General Mikuriya was received by the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan, H.E. Ilham Aliyev, who thanked the WCO for providing advice and support for Customs modernization and for assisting Azerbaijan with implementation of the Organization’s international standards. In turn, Dr. Mikuriya thanked the President for his strong support for Customs and the WCO, as well as for providing leadership as the WCO Vice-Chair for the Europe region. He also noted Azerbaijan’s efforts in terms of hosting WCO regional structures in Baku and of offering resources to assist with capacity building, along with facilitating the sharing of information and best practices between Customs administrations by hosting WCO events. In recognition of the WCO’s contribution to Customs reform, the President awarded Azerbaijan's Order of Friendship to Dr. Mikuriya.
Secretary General Mikuriya took the opportunity to meet with other political leaders while in Azerbaijan, including the Prime Minister, H.E. Mr. Ali Asadov, and the Minister of Foreign Affairs, H.E. Mr. Jeyhun Bayramov, with a view to exploring further avenues for cooperation. In addition, he gave a special lecture at ADA University on the growing role of Customs in ensuring sustainable trade in the post-pandemic era and visited the WCO Regional Office for Capacity Building to review its recent activities.