MOSCOW : Russian and Cuban customs services signed documents on law enforcement and training cooperation, the press service of the Russian department said.
The corresponding protocol on cooperation in combating customs violations during air transportation and the memorandum on cooperation in the field of education and training of personnel were signed by Russian Federal Customs Service First Deputy Head Ruslan Davydov and the head of Cuba’s General Customs Office, Nelson Cordoves Reyes. The signing ceremony took place on October 3 during Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev’s visit to Cuba.
“Under the protocol, the parties will exchange information on persons suspected of illegally transferring goods, including drugs, by air. A plan for cooperation with Cuba in the fight against customs violations for 2019-2021 is expected to be signed by the end of this year,” the press service said in a statement.
The cooperation of customs services in the field of education and training is planned to be organized on the basis of the Russian Customs academy.
Among other things, the memorandum provides interaction for exchanging information about the training system, the planning and establishment of the educational process, staff exchanges, as well as the organization of joint educational and scientific events.
The basic agreement between Russia and Cuba on mutual administrative assistance to ensure compliance with customs legislation was signed in 2012. The working group on customs cooperation has been operating since 2012 as part of the Intergovernmental Russian-Cuban Commission on Trade, Economic, Scientific and Technical Cooperation. In addition, since 2015, the customs administrations of the two countries have been exchanging preliminary information on goods and vehicles. Such information helps improve the efficiency of customs control.
According to the Russian Federal Customs Service, in the first eight months of 2019, trade between the two countries amounted to $181.9 million, which is 1.2 percent less than the same period of the previous year. Russian exports to Cuba reached a value of $168 million, while imports totaled $13.9 million.
