On September 10–11, 2026, the Regional Training Centre of the World Customs Organization (WCO) in Turkmenistan hosted a hybrid regional seminar titled “Digital Transformation in Customs: Data Integration, Risk Management Systems, and the Use of Artificial Intelligence in Analysis and Automation”.

The event brought together managers and specialists from the Central Apparatus of the State Customs Service of Turkmenistan, Ashgabat City and Ahal Province Customs Administrations, as well as trainees from the advanced training course on "Risk Management Systems in Customs".

In-person participants included Mr. Haji Hajiyev, representative of the WCO Regional Office for Capacity Building (ROCB Europe), and the main speaker of the seminar, Mr. Yusif Usubov, expert from the State Customs Committee of the Republic of Azerbaijan. Joining the discussions online were WCO Secretariat experts Mr. Dimitris Politopoulos and Dr. Tong Hua, along with representatives from WCO Regional Training Centres in Europe.

Representatives of the WCO Secretariat briefed the participants on global digital transformation trends and the implementation of the conceptual "Smart Customs" project. The key speaker, Mr. Yusif Usubov, presented Azerbaijan's practical experience in integrating machine learning algorithms and artificial intelligence models for data analytics and risk profiling. In turn, Turkmen specialists presented their national experience in applying digital systems and implementing AI-based solutions in customs operations.

During the final round table, participants discussed deepening regional cooperation, capacity building, and launching joint prospective initiatives. The seminar program concluded with a visit for the guests to learn about the operations of the Monitoring and Analysis Centre of the State Customs Service of Turkmenistan.