A Joint Action Plan to facilitate trade between Türkiye and Saudi Arabia was signed at the World Customs Organization (WCO) Council meeting in Brussels, attended by Deputy Minister of Trade Sezai Uçarmak, the Turkish Trade Ministry announced.
According to a statement shared on the ministry’s social media account, Uçarmak participated in the 147th and 148th Sessions of the WCO Council, which brought together heads of customs administrations from 187 member countries and senior representatives of international organizations.
The statement noted that key issues discussed during the meeting included the future of global trade, data-driven customs management, artificial intelligence, e-commerce and secure supply chains. The organization’s ongoing work was also presented to member countries for consideration.
The ministry said that Uçarmak met with Suhail Abnami, Governor of Saudi Arabia’s Zakat, Tax and Customs Authority, on the sidelines of the meeting.
During the talks, the two sides exchanged views on the development of land transit corridors connecting Türkiye to the Gulf region, the effective implementation of the TIR system and measures to facilitate regional and bilateral trade.
Following the meeting, the parties signed a Joint Action Plan aimed at accelerating the process of mutual recognition of their Authorized Economic Operator programs.
Throughout the WCO Council sessions, Uçarmak also held bilateral meetings with his counterparts from the customs administrations of Azerbaijan, Bulgaria, Hungary, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, the Maldives, Syria, Georgia, Kosovo, Kyrgyzstan and Iran to discuss mutual relations.
