Brief history. The State Customs Committee of the Republic of Azerbaijan became the member of the Financial Committee of most influential international customs structure in the world -the World Customs Organization in 2000-2001. The accession of the Republic of Azerbaijan into the Political Commission of the World Customs Organization and the conduction of the 44th session of this commission in Baku on December 5-9, 2000 prove the increase of the influence of the customs services of Azerbaijan in the international arena and the efficiency of the cooperation with the customs organizations of the world. The Secretary General of the World Customs Organization Mishel Dane and the chair of the State Customs Committee of the Republic of Azerbaijan Kemaleddin Heydarov signed a memorandum of understanding in the establishment of the regional educational center of the World Customs Organization in Baku on January 30, 2002. The opening ceremony of the center took place in Baku on September 20, 2003. A number of international and regional training courses have already been held there and it is planned to conduct regional trainings after 2005. The State Customs Committee is the full member of the Regional Information Coordinative Center of the World Customs Organization (Rilo-Moscow). The foundation e-learning program for the regional countries of the World Customs Organization was laid within the Regional Educational Center of Baku under the support of the World Customs Organization. The opening ceremony of the Dede Gorgut monuments took place before the Headquarters of the World Customs Organization in Brussels on May 18, 2004 and on the same day the World Customs Organization and the State Customs Committee signed the protocol on intentions in the WCO headquarters The document was signed by the secretary general of the World Customs Organization Michel Dane and the chair of the State Customs Committee of the Republic of Azerbaijan Kemaleddin Heydariv. The document which lays the foundation for the expansion of the relations existing between the World Customs Organization and the State Customs Committee of the Republic of Azerbaijan and at the same time creates conditions for the establishment of closer cooperation between Azerbaijan and WCO member-states. The protocol of intentions focuses on the joint settlement of the special regional problems related to the illegal drug trafficking by the Great Silk Road, the frontier security, and the globalization facing the due officials of the customs bodies.