On 10-11 October 2019, Moscow hosted a regular meeting of the Special Working Group on customs cooperation of the SCO member countries.
Experts discussed a broad range of issues aimed at promoting cooperation between the customs services of the SCO countries, including a draft memorandum on the mutual integration of the national transit systems.
They exchanged views on the practical implementation of the documents adopted by the customs experts of the SCO member states. Thus, they exchanged information on the implementation of the regulations on information interoperability between round-the-clock contact points via the CENcomm RILO-Moscow operational platform. The relevant document was signed in Qingdao in June 2018. The experts also exchanged opinions on cooperation of the SCO member countries in protecting intellectual property rights.
"The customs services of our countries actively cooperate in many areas envisaged by the list of further developing of SCO project activities for 2017-2021. Today experts discussed the implementation of the international documents have already been adopted and mapped out prospects for the further strengthening of cooperation between the customs services of our countries," said Yevgeny Kozyrev, the head of the Special Working Group and first deputy head of the Customs Cooperation Department of the Federal Customs Service of the Russian Federation.
Following the meeting the participants signed a protocol.
The next 37th meeting of the Special Working Group will be held in the first six months of 2020.
The Special Working Group on Customs Cooperation is operating under the conference of the SCO ministers responsible for foreign economic activities and foreign trade. It was established in 2004. Its main goal is to coordinate joint activities of the SCO member countries' customs services in priority areas of customs procedures.