Qatar Chamber (QC) and the General Authority of Customs (GAC) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) at the International Road Transport Union (IRU) headquarter in Geneva on January 25.
The MOU marks QC as the TIR national guaranteeing and issuing association in Qatar.
HE the Minister of Transport and Communications Jassim Seif Ahmed al-Sulaiti witnessed the signing of the agreement which was signed by QC Board Member, Eng Ali Abdul Latif Al Misnad, and General Authority of Customs Chairman, Ahmed bin Abdullah Al Jamal, in the presence of QC Director General, Saleh bin Hamad Al Sharqi.
In a related context, the government of Qatar signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the International Road Transport Union (IRU) to boost their co-operation in all fields of land transport.
The MoU was signed by HE the Minister of Transport and Communications Jassim Seif Ahmed al-Sulaiti and the IRU Secretary-General Umberto de Pretto.
The MoU aims at developing joint activities in the areas supporting land transport sector and developing land transport projects in Qatar in line with best practices and international standards, thus enabling Qatar to play a leading and distinctive role in this regard.
Commenting on the MOU singing , QC Board Member Al-Misnad said that the agreement reflects QC’s role in breaking the unfair blockade. He added that Qatar’s accession to TIR system comes in the context of streamlining trade, reducing costs and shipping for traders, thus reflecting positively on consumers, let alone facilitating the land transportation of goods and commodities from and to Qatar.
TIR is a globally applicable customs transit and guarantee system. It enables goods to transit from a country of origin to a country of destination in sealed load compartments that are controlled by customs via a multilateral, mutually recognised procedure, he added.
On his part, GAC Chairman said the agreement comes in the context of developing and cementing co-operation between the member states in the field of international land transport as well as terminating the restrictions and obstacles in that industry.
Al-Jamal said that the agreement will help reduce the cost of exports and, therefore, commodity prices in Qatar. “It would also cut the time spent on the delivery of imports by nearly 50%, in addition to securing the delivery of goods to final destinations with highest safety standards,” he added.
Saleh Al-Sharqi said that TIR streamlines procedures at borders, reducing the administrative burden for customs authorities and for transport and logistics companies. It cuts border waiting times significantly, saving time and money, he added.
TIR authorised operators can move goods quickly across multiple customs territories, under customs control, using a single guarantee. Harmonised systems and data exchange tools mean that operators only need to submit their declaration data once for the entire transit movement, al-Sharqi said.
The QC Director General also invited transportation companies that are interested in joining the TIR system to apply at QC and get authorised to use that system in their importation and exportation business.
He noted that transportation companies interested in joining TIR system must have at least three years of experience in international land transportation, adding that QC is now the national guaranteeing association for customs duties.
Last year, Qatar became the 73rd country to have ratified the UN TIR Convention – the global standard for customs transit, to facilitate trade and the seamless and secure movement of goods across its borders.
Member-states include countries from Europe, Asia, North Africa, the Middle East, the US and Canada. This is aimed at streamlining trade, attracting investments and raising Qatar’s transportation services efficiency through providing seamless importation, exportation and delivery of goods from and to Qatar using Qatari trucks carried on RORO cargo ships.
هذه الصفحة متوفرة ايضاً باللغة: Arabic
