BAKU, Azerbaijan, July 29. Turkmenistan has introduced stricter technical requirements for temporary customs warehouses as it continues upgrading infrastructure supporting international transit.
The changes were introduced by the State Customs Service of Turkmenistan under regulations registered by the Ministry of Justice, according to a press release issued by the Turkmen government.
"Open-type warehouses must now be equipped with permanently operating X-ray television inspection systems," the press release said.
The updated customs requirements come as Turkmenistan intensifies efforts to strengthen its position along the Middle Corridor through both high-level diplomacy and domestic infrastructure upgrades. In June, President Serdar Berdimuhamedov paid a state visit to Azerbaijan, where he and President Ilham Aliyev identified transport and logistics among the central pillars of bilateral cooperation. The leaders reaffirmed their commitment to expanding freight transportation along the Trans-Caspian International Transport Route (Middle Corridor) and agreed to deepen coordination between the transport authorities of the two countries.
The transit agenda was further advanced during Berdimuhamedov's state visit to Georgia in July. Talks with President Mikheil Kavelashvili and Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze focused on increasing cargo flows along the Middle Corridor, strengthening cooperation in transport, logistics and port infrastructure, and accelerating the implementation of joint transit projects. Ashgabat also confirmed its interest in establishing a Turkmen cargo terminal on Georgia's Black Sea coast, while the two countries signed transport cooperation documents and highlighted the strategic importance of the Lapis Lazuli and Caspian Sea-Black Sea corridors.
Against this backdrop, the latest customs reforms appear to complement Turkmenistan's external transit diplomacy with domestic modernization measures. By requiring advanced X-ray screening systems, fully digital cargo accounting integrated with customs software, and enhanced remote monitoring capabilities at temporary storage warehouses, Ashgabat is seeking to improve border processing efficiency and prepare its logistics infrastructure for higher international cargo volumes expected along regional transport corridors.
