Chairman of the State Customs Service of Turkmenistan, Maksat Hudaykuliyev, met with World Customs Organization (WCO) Secretary General Ian Saunders during a working visit to Brussels for the 145th and 146th sessions of the WCO Council. Turkmenistan’s Ambassador to Belgium, Sapar Palvanov, also attended the meeting, according to the Embassy of Turkmenistan in Belgium.

Hudaykuliyev reaffirmed Turkmenistan’s commitment to strengthening its partnership with the WCO and emphasized the importance of the positive experience gained through bilateral cooperation. He expressed the country’s readiness to actively participate in the implementation of current and future WCO projects, particularly in priority areas such as risk management and professional development.

Special attention was given to the Customs Training Center established under the State Customs Service of Turkmenistan. It was noted that, following a vote by WCO member states, the center had been granted the status of a Regional Training Center. Hudaykuliyev thanked the WCO for its support in promoting the initiative and stressed the importance of continued collaboration to ensure the center’s effectiveness through training courses, specialized workshops, and expert programs.

World Customs Organization (WCO) Secretary General Ian Saunders and Turkmenistan’s Ambassador to Belgium, Sapar Palvanov, 26 June, 2025 (Photo: Embassy of Turkmenistan in Belgium)

During the meeting, Ambassador Palvanov conveyed official invitations from Turkmenistan’s leadership to the WCO Secretary General. On behalf of President Serdar Berdimuhamedov, he extended an invitation to attend the Third UN Conference on Landlocked Developing Countries (LLDCs), scheduled for August 2025 in Ashgabat. A second invitation, from National Leader of the Turkmen People and Chairman of the Halk Maslahaty Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov, was extended for the High-Level International Dialogue on Peace, set to take place on December 12, 2025, also in Ashgabat. The event will mark the 30th anniversary of Turkmenistan’s neutrality and the UN-declared International Year of Peace and Trust.

Secretary General Saunders expressed his appreciation for both invitations and confirmed his intention to personally attend the August conference. He praised Turkmenistan’s active role as a full and constructive member of the WCO and thanked the country for its ongoing efforts to modernize its customs system and create favorable conditions for international cooperation.