It is always a pleasure to be in Azerbaijan, a country I have had visited many times. I have friends here. And the history and geographic location of Baku at the edge of the Caspian Sea and being the heart of the Silk Road, wher Marco Polo and many others established trade between East and West, between Europe and China.

So this is the place to be for a dialogue around Customs and Trade, which means that Baku also today is at the center of international supply chain and global value chains – through the New Silk Road (prev. One Belt, One Road) for all transport modes.

Today I delivered my Key Note Speech at 2018 AEO International Conference and Assembly in Baku.

In action

In my presentation I spoke about a new Border Security Model 2.0 – based on AEO 2.0 and SmartBorders 2.0.

It is 15 years since WCO presented a mew international stabdrada for Customs, SAFE. The world have change many times since then.

It is now time to upgrade SAFE Framework of Standards. Great feedback from the audience at the event.

This week I am speaking at the 2018 AEO International Conference and Assembly, held in Baku The Republic of Azerbaijan, 2-4 May.

The event is co-organized by the State Customs Committee and the International Association of Authorized Economic Operators (AEO), Customs and Logistics.

A very interesting event looking at how the AEO instrument can be platform for new secure trade lanes like the New Silk Road.