15.04.25
The First Informal Meeting of the Heads of Customs Administrations of the Organization of Turkic States (OTS) was held on 15 April 2025 in Budapest, Hungary.
The meeting brought together high-level officials including H.E. Ambassador Kubanychbek Omuraliev, Secretary General of the OTS; H.E. Ferenc Vágujhelyi, Commissioner of the National Tax and Customs Administration of Hungary; H.E. Katalin Bihari, Deputy State Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade of Hungary; Brigadier General Kristóf Péter Bakai, Deputy Commissioner for Customs and International Affairs of Hungary; H.E. Shahin Baghirov, Chairman of the State Customs Committee of the Republic of Azerbaijan; H.E. Kairat Jumagulov, Deputy Chairman of the State Revenue Committee of the Republic of Kazakhstan; H.E. Almaz Saliev, Chairman of the State Customs Service under the Ministry of Finance of the Kyrgyz Republic; H.E. Sezai Uçarmak, Deputy Minister of Trade of the Republic of Türkiye; and H.E. Akmalhuja Mavlonov, Chairman of the State Customs Committee of the Republic of Uzbekistan.
In his opening remarks, Secretary General Omuraliev emphasized Hungary’s active role and strategic engagement within the OTS, underlining the symbolic significance of hosting the meeting in Budapest ahead of the upcoming OTS Informal Summit of Heads of State.
He also highlighted customs cooperation as a key OTS priority and noted the progress achieved, including the adoption of the eTIR Action Plan, the Simplified Customs Corridor, and ongoing initiatives like the Caravansarai Project. He called for closer collaboration with the European Union, leveraging Hungary’s unique experience to support modernization and digitalization of customs procedures across the Turkic region.
The Hungarian side shared its experience in key areas such as e-commerce, trade facilitation practices, the EU customs reform package, achievements during Hungary’s EU Presidency in 2024, and regional cooperation mechanisms, including the Visegrád Group.
Participants from OTS Member States presented national experiences in customs modernization and regional economic cooperation. The meeting also explored opportunities for enhanced collaboration within the OTS framework, with a focus on strengthening OTS–EU cooperation, knowledge exchange, and capacity building in the customs field.
