Bolivian President Luis Arce inaugurated on Thursday (01.02.2024) the Integrated Control for Trucks of the Pisiga Customs (border with Chile), a project that will allow collaborative work between the border services of both countries, in addition to banks and commercial agents, official sources reported.
The ceremony was attended by the Minister of Economy of Bolivia, Marcelo Montenegro; the president of the National Customs of Bolivia, Karina Serrudo; parliamentarians, governors and councilors of the area, neighbors and community groups.
The Chilean delegation was led by the Consul General of Chile in La Paz, Ambassador Fernando Velasco; the Presidential Delegate of Tamarugal, Camila Castillo; the regional director of the Iquique Customs Office, Cristian Molina, and a team from the Border and Limits Directorate.
Work
The Chilean Customs Service provided details of the work, namely: space for trucks in its main yard, two vehicle scales, license plate detection cameras and a scanner truck, while the offices include spaces for training rooms, a cafeteria and offices for all the control services.
The Pisiga border crossing is next to Colchane. It is located in the Bolivian region of Oruro and dates back to 1962, although its operations as a customs administration date back to 1993. Given its proximity to the port of Iquique, its importance is highlighted by being integrated into the Central Interoceanic Axis, an area that links the main ports in the Pacific to others in the Atlantic.
Binational coordination
El Ambassador Velasco He expressed his joy at being at the inauguration of the infrastructure with President Arce and highlighted the integrated border management carried out by customs. Chilean and Bolivian. "We must acknowledge the work of the Chilean Customs because this space was due to be inaugurated in a month, but due to President Arce's agenda, the inauguration was brought forward. And in a demonstration of flexibility and professionalism, the Chilean customs is here. This will facilitate the exchange and all legal transit of people and goods between the two countries," said the diplomat.
In turn, the regional director Cristian Molina He highlighted the benefits of integrated border management, given that, "as the World Customs Organization maintains, borders divide and customs unite. Our role is to facilitate, control and ensure the logistics chain, so that there is fair trade and that illicit goods do not advance."
From the above, it is clear that in any initiative based on the Coordinated Border Management Model, teamwork is essential, especially in terms of cooperation, which comes from Article 8 of the WTO Trade Facilitation Agreement.
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