Uzbekistan resumed WTO membership negotiations

 WTO members welcomed the resumption of WTO membership negotiations for Uzbekistan when the working party on the country’s accession to the WTO met on 7 July 2020 — almost 15 years after its last formal meeting.

Ambassador Ji-Ah Paik of the Republic of Korea, chair of the working party, highlighted the critical importance of this meeting which “sends a clear message that Uzbekistan is back” and clearly indicates that WTO accession is integral to Uzbekistan's economic reform and modernization agenda. “As a key player in Central Asia, Uzbekistan's commitment to joining the WTO highlights the importance that Central Asia attaches to the multilateral trading system, as the WTO membership prepares for the 12th Ministerial Conference in Kazakhstan in 2021,” she added.

Mr Sardor Umurzakov, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Investments and Foreign Trade of Uzbekistan, underscored the government's commitment to the accession process. He said that accession to the WTO is “an absolute priority” for his government and an integral part of the ongoing reforms aimed at further integration of Uzbekistan into the world economic community and the multilateral trading system. “In turn, we are committed to continuing the measures aimed at liberalizing trade, modernizing all trade and political instruments based on the principles and rules of the WTO agreements, encouraging foreign investments and introducing international best practices in the interests of further sustainable economic development of Uzbekistan,” he said.

WTO Deputy Director-General Alan Wolff commended the effort and dedication shown by the government to advance this process. “This is an important day for Uzbekistan and for the WTO. Congratulations. No one better appreciates the value of being part of the WTO than acceding governments. Uzbekistan's return to the accession table after 15 years of reflection is a strong testimony of this appreciation. Please count on the Secretariat for its support to accompany Uzbekistan for the rest of this accession journey. I trust that WTO members and other partners will do their part in supporting Uzbekistan's reforms driven accession,” DDG Wolff added.

While welcoming Uzbekistan's return and its readiness to advance domestic reform efforts through this accession process, WTO members asked Tashkent to provide additional inputs on a range of issues. https://www.wto.org/english/news_e/news20_e/acc_uzb_07jul20_e.htm#.Xwg7uitBpPQ.linkedin