Kazakhstan together with SCO countries facilitates trading procedures

 

Vice Minister of the Ministry of Trade and Integration of the Republic of Kazakhstan, Zhanel Kushukova, chaired a meeting of the Special Working Group on Trade Facilitation of the SCO Member States.

Zhanel Kushukova noted that the trade facilitation mechanism plays an important role in reducing the time for goods to access the market, including ensuring the transparency of customs procedures at the border, which will ultimately contribute to an increase in trade turnover between the SCO countries.

"For 8 months of 2021, the trade turnover between Kazakhstan and the SCO countries amounted to $ 31.6 billion. USA, which is 16.7% higher than in the same period of the previous year," the vice minister said.

Kushukova Zh. also said that Kazakhstan mainly exports to the SCO countries such goods as oil (2.1 billion US dollars), copper (1.5 billion US dollars), steel (1.2 billion US dollars), natural gas (1 billion US dollars) and agricultural products, for example, wheat (679.1 million US dollars).

During the meeting, experts announced the best practices of the SCO member states on the implementation of the mechanism for facilitating trade procedures. In turn, experts from international organizations such as the WTO, UNCTAD and GIZ presented their conclusions on this issue.

Representatives of the SCO member states and representatives of international organizations noted the success of Kazakhstan in the work done to facilitate trade procedures within the SCO, and also expressed gratitude for organizing a platform for discussion and exchange of experience on the use of trade facilitation mechanisms in order to increase regional integration within the SCO.

Following the meeting, the parties expressed the opinion that this platform will serve as a basis for further fruitful cooperation and exchange of experience between countries in matters of international trade facilitation.