Uzbekistan and the USA have signed a protocol marking the completion of bilateral negotiations regarding Tashkent's accession to the World Trade Organization. This was announced by the special representative of the president for WTO matters, Azizbek Urunov.
Uzbekistan's Deputy Prime Minister Jamshid Khojaev and the U.S. Trade Representative Katherine Tai signed the protocol in Washington on December 19. The document signifies the achievement of agreements on mutual market access.
“This year has been historic in our process of joining the WTO, with very promising achievements by its end,” noted Urunov.
The special representative expressed gratitude to the negotiating teams from both sides for their "constructive interaction." He emphasized that the Uzbek side will intensify its focus on achieving the goal of joining the organization by 2026.
In early November, Urunov reported the completion of negotiations between Tashkent and Washington regarding WTO accession. He mentioned that the process took 14 months. Additionally, in recent months, corresponding protocols were signed with China, the Philippines, El Salvador, Thailand, and Pakistan.
Accession to the WTO
In April 2023, Shavkat Mirziyoyev instructed the government to expedite work on Uzbekistan's membership in the WTO. The head of state highlighted the importance of this step for significantly increasing exports, particularly of finished goods.
In the summer of the same year, the position of special representative of the president for WTO matters was established, and it was mandated to create units for interaction with the WTO in 20 ministries. Additionally, the president imposed a ban on the creation of 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 businesses in August this year, Mirziyoyev referred to joining the WTO as "an integral part of reforms."
The first deputy head of the Tax Committee, Mubin Mirzaev, stated that Uzbekistan will receive a transitional period of 2-3 years upon joining the WTO. Customs duties will be set 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 abolition of benefits for exporters, described the WTO as "a generally fair trading system." He emphasized that local entrepreneurs must learn to operate in conditions of open competition.
Earlier, Spot reported on the negotiations between Jamshid Khojaev and the WTO leadership in Geneva.