The special representative of the President of Uzbekistan for World Trade Organization matters, Azizbek Urunov, announced the conclusion of negotiations regarding joining the bloc with the Philippines.
Urunov and the ambassador of the island nation, Tikhanki Manuel, signed the relevant protocol during a meeting in Geneva on December 1. The Deputy Director-General of the WTO, Zhang Xiangchen, was present at the ceremony.
“I want to thank one of the best ambassadors I know in Geneva for the cooperation, support, and our joint achievement of this goal,” Urunov commented on the signing.
The official noted that over the past two months, Uzbekistan has secured support for its WTO accession from four countries. In addition to the Philippines, these include the USA, China, and El Salvador.
The USA completed negotiations with Uzbekistan regarding WTO accession in early November, while China did so at the end of the month. This year, Israel, Brazil, Sri Lanka, and several other countries have also expressed support on this issue.
At the forum “Days of European Economy in Uzbekistan” on November 6, Urunov stated that the republic still needs to finalize negotiations with a number of countries, without specifying their number. These include Russia, the United Kingdom, Switzerland, the European Union, and some others. The special representative also spoke about non-tariff measures for regulating trade that are planned to be implemented in the country.
Accession to the WTO
In April 2023, Shavkat Mirziyoyev instructed the government to expedite the process of obtaining WTO membership for Uzbekistan. The head of state emphasized the importance of this step for significantly increasing exports, particularly of finished products.
In the summer of the same year, the position of special representative of the president for WTO matters was established, and it was also mandated to create units for interaction with the organization in 20 ministries. Additionally, the president imposed a ban on creating regulatory legal acts that do not comply with the organization's norms.
At the 78th session of the UN General Assembly in September 2023, the president identified the swift accession to the WTO as a priority task for Uzbekistan. The Director-General of the organization, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, agreed to expedite the next meeting of the working group on this issue.
Uzbekistan plans to join the WTO before the 14th Ministerial Conference, which will take place in 2026 in Cameroon. During an open dialogue with the business community in August of this year, Mirziyoyev referred to joining the WTO as an “integral part of reforms.”
The first deputy head of the Tax Committee, Mubin Mirzaev, reported that Uzbekistan will receive a transitional period of 2-3 years upon joining the WTO. Customs duties will be established based on agreements with other member countries of the organization.
The Minister of Economy and Finance, Jamshid Kuchkarov, in his speech before the Oliy Majlis on November 27 regarding the cancellation of benefits for exporters, described the WTO as “a generally fair trading system.” Local entrepreneurs must learn to operate in an environment of open competition, he emphasized.
Previously, Spot reported that four textile factories are planned to be built in the Bukhara region for $320 million.