An experts level meeting was held in the United Arab Emirates on December 18-21 for the purposes of holding discussions on the project "Agreement on cooperation and mutual aid in the customs sphere between the Republic of Azerbaijan and the United Arab Emirates" and exchange of experience between the two countries. The delegation headed by the Chief of the Head Department for Organization of Customs Control of the State Customs Committee of the Republic of Azerbaijan Mr. Shahin Bagirov participated in the meeting.

In his interview to our newspaper Mr. Bagirov said that the first meeting was held with the participation of the head of the Ministry of Finance Customs Administration of the United Arab Emirates in Dubai. The head of the Customs Administration spoke about the ccoperation relations between Azerbaijan and the United Arab Emirates at the meeting. He emphasized that there was a great interest in the development of these relations and expressed the importance of the signing of Agreement about mutual aid in the customs sphere would serve for being closer the cooperation between the two countries. Then he said that a detailed information about activity of the customs service in the local experience and free economic zones related with customs control process in Dubai and Abu-Dabi meeting Azerbaijan delegation on behalf of the leadership of the State Customs Committee expressed gratitude to the head of the United Arab Emirates Customs Administration for creating condition for the meeting and holding exchange of experience.

Then the delegation started joined discussion about the project "Agreement on cooperation and mutual aid in the customs sphere between the Republic of Azerbaijan and the United Arab Emirates" with the officials working at the foreign relations sphere of the United Arab Emirates Customs Administration. The employee of the Embassy in the United Arab Emirates of the Republic of Azerbaijan Etibar Huseynov also took part in the discussion.

During discussions offers of the Republic of Azerbaijan and the United Arab Emirates for corresponding articles of the Agreement project was considered and they were mutually agreed, taken into account in the project.

The next day the delegation visited Dubai Customs Office. Presentations were held by the corresponding divisions in the central office of the Customs Office. First of all films about the main activity directions of Dubai Customs Office were demonstrated. The implemented activities in the development levels of the Customs Office were spoken in the films. Declaration of commodities in the electronical form and information about automated management systems of risks in Dubai Customs Office roused interest. Declaration of commodities in the electronical form is implemented and risks are determined in the United Arab Emirates. If risks about sendings in the automated system were not determined, declarations enter in the electronical form centres implementing customs control and real pass of commodities is implemented in those places. In case of determining risks, at the same time for deep checkup of commodities instructions are send to the customs centre in the electronical form. The corresponding decision about results of carried out checkups was made/.

According to Sh.Bagirov`s words, one of the presentations in Dubai Customs Office was related with the determination of the customs strategy. Representatives of some states (Great Britain etc) are working as a consultant in the strategical management activity and render their aid. The strategical goal as in majority countries is to increase the level and quality of the customs management activity by creating a business climate. Here the main target is to render aid to the trade and strengthening of security measures. For rendering aid to increase of possibility and potential in the above mentioned sphere in the United Arab Emirate the World Customs Organization held the diagnostic mission.

One of the other presentations was connected with implemented activities about ptotection of mental property rights by Dubai Customs Office. The information was given that for rational protection of mental property rights by the Customs Office a special structure division was created in the office. The same division determined some activity directions about protection of mental property rights. Registration and creation of connections with right owners, carrying out real checkups, organization of trainings for customs employees and the public (school, high educational establishments etc) are included here.

Then the presentation was held by the division being busy with structure matters of Dubai Customs Office. The information about the structure of Dubai Customs Office, concrete activity directions of customs divisions and working principles of employees was given in the presentation. It was noted that working plan of every customs employee is determined and their fulfilment is controlled in the Customs Office. The structure of the Customs Office is looked through after every two years it is renewed corresponding to being emplemented activities on the basis of the same period demands.

During the held meeting in the central office of Dubai Customs Office discussions about the activity of the customs regimes pecularities were also implemeted and approach of Dubai Customs Office to these matters was learned. It was informed that the free economic zone having corresponding separated territories, entrance of commodities the same territories is implemented on the ground of the permission of the Customs Office and some customs regimes are determined on location pecularities basis of commodities in the free economic zone. But the common management of the zone is implemented by the special organization created by the state together with the Customs Office. It was also noted that side by side with the free economic zone, the creation of the industrial zones was also determined by the legislation. During the discussions exchange of information about other customs regimes was carried out as well. At the same time repeatedly export regime remaining as a widely used regime locating period of commodities in the same regime is six months.

Then there was practical familiarization with the working activity of Dubai Customs Office. During the familiarization attention was paid to processing system of the electronical customs declarations. Declared all declarations are implemented in the electronical form in the centre of Dubai city. On the basis of the risk criteria for checkup of declarations staffs are determined consisting of four people and a head of every staff is appointed. For checkup of declarations on basis of determined risks an appointment of a customs employee is fulfilled by a head of a group and carried out activities ground on electronical forms. But physical checkup of commodities is implemented in customs centres functioning in located places of commodities.

After the completion of the familiarization with Dubai Customs Office the delegation with the participation of the enployee of the Embassy of the Republic of Azerbaijan in the United Arab Emirates together with officials working in the foreign relations sphere of the Customs Administration of this country looked through the project "Agreement on cooperation and mutual aid in the customs sphere between the Republic of Azerbaijan and the United Arab Emirates", exactness was caried out and the Agreement project was unitialed, the protocol of the meeting was signed.

Then the visit was paid to Abu-Dabi city and the meeting was held in the Customs Office. The officials of the office took part in the meeting and they gave information about the activity directions of Abu-Dabi Customs Office. The delegation with the object of the practical familiarization also visited the customs clearance centre as well. The centre is located in Abu-Dabi sea port and it implements customs clearance and checkup of import-export commodities. Real clearance of commodities is carried out on the basis in the electronical form and conveyed company or by other people having authority on commodities. Documents are checked in the clearance level being paid customs payments are taken and permission about transporting cargoes from port is given by a customs employee. Customs payments and service payments are taken on basis of bank transfers. Customs service payments can be taken in cash by a customs employee. But physical check of commodities is implemented by other special group in the port territory. Customs check is fulfilled in the independent form or corresponding to entered task automated system composition and registrations about result are written in an electronical system.