The official opening ceremony of the Port Control Unit (PCU) at the Farap customs post at the border of Turkmenistan with Uzbekistan was held via video link on Friday, the State Customs Service of Turkmenistan said in its press release.
The PCU is a unit that is staffed, trained and equipped to undertake the systematic profiling and inspection of high-risk containers with minimum disruption to legitimate trade.
The PCU in Farap customs post of Lebap Velayat Customs was created in cooperation with the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), within the framework of the Global Container Control Programme of the UNODC and the World Customs Organization.
The ceremony was attended by representatives of the UN Office in Central Asia, headed by UNODC Regional Representative Ashita Mittal, representatives of donor organizations, members of the Alat Port Control Unit (Uzbekistan), and Deputy Chairman of the State Customs Committee of Uzbekistan Utkirjon Kodirov.
The State Customs Service of Turkmenistan was represented by the Deputy Chairman of the Agency Dovlet Bayriyev.
In his congratulatory speech, Bayriyev said this event is the result of many years of fruitful cooperation between the State Customs Service of Turkmenistan and the UNODC in Central Asia.
Similar PCUs were previously established at the International Customs Terminal in Ashgabat, as well as at the international seaport in Turkmenbashi city.