His Excellency Ali bin Subaih Al Kaabi, Commissioner of Abu Dhabi Customs, received Dr. Mamdouh Al-Rifai, President of the Arab Union of Customs Executives, at the headquarters of the Federal Customs Authority in Abu Dhabi.
Mr. Ali Al Kaabi stated that Abu Dhabi Customs works to achieve strategic goals, including community security, trade facilitation, strengthening relationships, enhancing the customs risk management and inspection systems to raise community security levels, and developing customs work to support trade facilitation.
Al Kaabi pointed out that the Federal Customs Authority in Abu Dhabi is now affiliated with the Cabinet of Ministers, having previously operated under the Ministry of Finance. The Authority consists of a Chairman and a Director General, with two main sectors: the Support Services Sector and the Customs Affairs Sector.
Dr. Mamdouh Al-Rifai, President of the Arab Union of Customs Executives, confirmed that he has held meetings with customs authorities in Jordan, Lebanon, and Egypt, and is striving to organize meetings to achieve desired cooperation among customs administrations in Arab countries, with the UAE being a leading example.
Al-Rifai added that the Union works to remove obstacles to trade exchange between Arab countries and praised the UAE’s experience in this regard and the implementation of the Trade Facilitation Agreement. He noted that one of the main obstacles to trade exchange between Arab countries is the difference in laws, lack of unified standards and specifications, and restrictions applied to traded goods.
Attending the meeting from the Arab Union of Customs Executives were Omar Shawqi, Assistant Secretary-General of the Union; Abdullah Al-Harbi and Abdullah Al-Fawaz, members of the Union’s General Assembly; and Zuhair Abdullah, the Union’s Financial Director.
From the Federal Customs Authority in Abu Dhabi, attendees included Mohamed Bouasiba, Director General; Ahmed bin Lahij, Expert at the Customs Affairs Sector; Alya Al-Marmoom, Director of Customs Policies; and Mariam Amer from the Strategic Planning Department.
At the end of the meeting, His Excellency Commissioner Ali Al Kaabi presented a commemorative shield from the Federal Customs Authority to Dr. Mamdouh Al-Rifai, President of the Arab Union of Customs Executives, thanking and appreciating his efforts.
