Uzbekistan takes active steps towards WTO accession by 2026
A high-level mission, headed by WTO Deputy Director General Zhang, visited Tashkent in October. During the 5-day visit, DDG Zhang met with Sardor Umurzakov, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Investment and Foreign Trade, and Badriddin Abidov, Deputy Minister of Investment and Foreign Trade and Chief Negotiator for WTO Accession, to review the state of play and next steps in Uzbekistan’s WTO accession process.
WTO’s news item says:
“Mr. Umurzakov reiterated the Government of Uzbekistan's firm commitment to WTO accession, which continues to be an absolute policy priority and an integral part of the wide-ranging reform agenda set by President-elect Shavkat Mirziyovev. WTO accession will be specifically mainstreamed into the Government's upcoming 2022-2026 strategy in an effort to accelerate accession negotiations. The Uzbek authorities stressed their determination to create the most favourable conditions for trade and investment, with a view to further integrating the “new Uzbekistan” into the global economy and addressing transport and connectivity bottlenecks exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic. Mr. Umurzakov also noted that Uzbekistan remains a firm believer in the multilateral trading system and looks forward to a successful 12th WTO Ministerial Conference (MC12).”
The WTO Delegation met with several Governmental bodies and presented events with the participation of the business community and academia.
When did Uzbekistan resume its WTO accession negotiations? In 2019, with the submission of a new memorandum on foreign trade regime. Since then, it has submitted a large volume of factual information on their trade regime and other related areas such as competition law. It held a Working Party meeting in 2020.
What's next? Uzbekistan will participate in the WTO Ministerial Conference with a high-level delegation. In mid-December, Uzbekistan’s Working Party meeting will meet to review the information submitted since the last working party meeting in 2020. Bilateral market access meetings will also take place.
Who supports the accession bid of Uzbekistan? The EU and the United States have dedicated, multi-million technical assistance projects to assist the Government of Uzbekistan in implementing its trade reform agenda, including its bid for WTO accession. For more information on these projects, click on the links below:
- USAID Competitiveness, Trade and Jobs Activity in Central Asia
- EU Facilitating Uzbekistan's Accession to the WTO
Source: https://www.wto.org/english/news_e/news21_e/acc_30oct21_e.htm
Related event: Turkmenistan became WTO observer mid-2020. A Governmental Commission to review issues related to the country's accession to the World Trade Organization has been established. Turkmenistan has sought assistance from the CAREC programme of the Asian Development Bank to prepare the memorandum on foreign trade regime. There are indications that Turkmenistan may be applying for WTO accession later this year.