BAKU, Azerbaijan, October 28. Uzbekistan and
the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agency have
discussed expanding cooperation between their customs services and
accelerating the implementation of a bilateral customs cooperation
agreement signed in Washington in September 2024.
According to Uzbekistan’s Customs Committee, the issues were
discussed at a meeting held in Uzbekistan on October 28 between
Uzbek customs officials and a U.S. delegation led by Steven Mora,
regional representative for international operations at ICE, which
is part of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.
The meeting followed agreements reached during a working visit
to the United States by the chairman of Uzbekistan’s Customs
Committee in May 2026.
The parties focused on expanding cooperation between the two
countries’ customs authorities, improving the exchange of
information and experience, identifying priority areas for
collaboration and developing practical measures to advance
bilateral engagement.
As part of the visit, the U.S. delegation toured several Uzbek
customs facilities to learn about operational procedures,
inspection processes and the use of modern technologies.
The sites included the Targeting Center, the Central Customs
Laboratory, the Remote Electronic Declaration Customs Post and the
Yallama Border Customs Post.
The visits provided an opportunity for the delegation to examine
Uzbekistan’s customs infrastructure and the technologies used to
facilitate customs controls and monitor cross-border trade.
Following the meeting, the parties agreed to develop an action
plan to establish information-sharing procedures on customs
violations under the bilateral agreement.
The initiative is intended to strengthen coordination between
the two countries’ customs authorities and support more effective
enforcement of customs regulations. Further details on the action
plan and its implementation timeline were not disclosed.
