Uzbekistan completes negotiations with three more countries as part of WTO accession

TASHKENT. Sept 19 (Interfax) - The Uzbek authorities have completed bilateral market access negotiations with Argentina, Australia and Honduras as part of the process of joining the World Trade Organization (WTO), the representative of the country's president on WTO issues, Azizbek Urunov, said on the social network LinkedIn.

In Geneva, the Uzbek delegation led by the head of the presidential administration, Saida Mirziyoyeva, took another concrete step on the path to Tashkent's full membership in the WTO, Urunov said. In particular, bilateral protocols with these countries were signed.

"This is a clear signal of growing support and partnership on the path of Uzbekistan's integration into the multilateral trading system," Urunov said.

In addition, according to his information, principal agreements have been reached with two other WTO members, which "not only advance the accession negotiations but also create new channels for economic cooperation, trade diversification, and strengthening business ties with partners from different regions of the world," he said.

Currently, negotiations with 29 countries have been completed, and bilateral negotiations remain open with three countries, Urunov said.

Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev said at the end of last year that the process of Uzbekistan's accession to the WTO is entering its final stage. Previously, in early June 2024, the authorities stripped a number of large state-owned companies in the metallurgy, chemical industry and energy sectors of exclusive economic rights in order to accelerate market reforms and harmonize national legislation with WTO requirements.

Uzbekistan received observer status in the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade in June 1994; in 1998, a working negotiating group on accession to the WTO was created, but then the negotiations were suspended. Work on WTO accession was resumed by Uzbekistan in 2017. In July 2019, the Uzbek side submitted an updated memorandum on the foreign trade regime to the WTO for consideration of the country's application to join the organization. At the end of June 2022, negotiations began between the Uzbek side and WTO member countries on the terms of accession.

At the end of May 2024, during negotiations at the WTO headquarters in Geneva, Deputy Prime Minister Jamshid Khojaev announced Uzbekistan's intention to become a member of the organization by 2026. The WTO working group called on the government to take on additional commitments.