BAKU, Azerbaijan, October 2. A two-week
training seminar on enhancing customs clearance capabilities at
seaports for Central Asian countries was held in Urumqi, China,
from September 8 through 21.


This was reported by the State Customs Service of Turkmenistan
in a press release published today.


According to the publication, the seminar, organized at the
invitation of the Chinese side, brought together customs officials
to study technologies and practices aimed at accelerating clearance
procedures at maritime ports.


A delegation from Turkmenistan’s State Customs Service
participated in the training, with officials representing customs
posts at land and maritime ports under the Ashgabat City and Balkan
Region customs administrations.


"During the training, participants gained a detailed
understanding of practical procedures for expediting customs
clearance at seaports, the operation of contactless inspection
systems, the automated processing of electronic documents, and the
functioning of the “Smart Railway Port” system, which is designed
to facilitate the rapid clearance of containers at border
crossings," the report says.


The training also covered the issues related to intelligent
customs risk management systems.


According to the publication, the experience gained by the
Turkmen delegation will contribute to ongoing efforts to modernize
customs posts at the International Seaport of Turkmenbashi.


A similar agenda was being discussed in Azerbaijan, another key
link in the Middle Corridor connecting Central Asia with
international markets via the Caspian Sea.







As Trend reported yesterday, Azerbaijan Railways (ADY) Chairman
Advisor Emil Mammadov said during a World Bank Group online event
that digitalization is crucial for improving the efficiency of the
Middle Corridor. He noted that Azerbaijan is investing in the
modernization and electrification of railway infrastructure, as
well as the expansion of the Baku port and operational
efficiency.


"When we speak of digitalization, we mean ensuring that the
cargo owner has a better and clearer understanding of the cargo's
status throughout the entire corridor. In other words, it’s not a
'black box' concept; rather, it’s a corridor that provides precise
information regarding delivery, transport, and storage conditions,
among other details," Mammadov said.


The events unfold against the backdrop of Central Asian
countries' efforts to improve their connectivity within the Middle
Corridor, while Azerbaijan is expanding infrastructure and digital
solutions along the route to increase its capacity and improve the
movement of cargo across the Caspian Sea.


For reference, the Middle Corridor, formerly known as the
Trans-Caspian Transport Corridor, is a multimodal trade route
connecting China and Central Asia with the South Caucasus, Türkiye
and Europe through railways, the Caspian Sea and road links.
Turkmenistan is among the countries covered by the broader
corridor, with the Turkmenbashi port providing a maritime link
across the Caspian Sea.


The World Bank said in September 2026 that targeted investments
in the corridor could more than triple trade volumes and halve
travel times by 2040. The bank identified digitalization, including
a single digital corridor system for transport, transit and trade
data, as one of the key measures needed to improve the route’s
efficiency.


Meanwhile, the “Smart Railway Port” model is used at Chinese
railway border ports to coordinate customs, railway and
border-inspection procedures. At Horgos on the Chinese-Kazakh
border, for example, the model combines train handling,
transshipment, inspection and customs release into a coordinated
process. Chinese authorities say the approach has helped increase
the port’s turnover efficiency by more than 20%.