It was explained why the process of becoming a member of the World Trade Organization of Uzbekistan is taking so long

Work on Uzbekistan's membership in the World Trade Organization continues. However, the estimated period of membership of the organization is unknown. This was announced by Amirbek Muhammedov, the deputy head of the Ministry of Investments, Industry and Trade, at a press conference held at AOKA. "Daryo" reporter reported that Amirbek Muhammedov said in the conversation that WTO membership is a complicated process that takes a long time. "The process is not really long. Because this is a very long and difficult issue. Accession to the WTO is based on the consensus of all member countries. This means that in order for Uzbekistan to join the organization, 164 countries must agree. Of these, at least 47 countries have joined the working group on Uzbekistan's accession to the WTO. The working group is unstable, meaning that at any time one country leaves the group, another can join. That's why this process will take a long time," he said. Amirbek Muhammedov, citing neighboring countries as an example, said that Kazakhstan became a member of the WTO in 13 years, and Russia in 10 years. "Therefore, it is impossible to set a definite deadline in this matter. Because negotiations are carried out on the basis of mutual agreements of both parties. This has something to do with foreign countries," said the official of the ministry. In the conversation, officials noted that Uzbekistan's efforts to become a member of the WTO began in 1994, but the process was stopped in 2005. Now the process has been restored. "In 2020, we held a meeting with the first working group in a new process. We are organizing one meeting of the working group every year, speeding up the work. Currently, there is a discussion about our economic system. We are now moving to the process of making commitments and making changes to certain aspects," added Amirbek Muhammedov. Earlier, the first deputy chairman of the Senate, Sadiq Safoyev, said in an interview with "Daryo" publication that entering the WTO will open new opportunities for Uzbekistan. "Certainly, along with opening up opportunities, it can also create some problems for a particular sector or our industries. But in general, there are few countries that are not part of this organization. And the fact that we are not there means that we are not using the means to protect our economic and national interests. Access to the WTO is one of the important issues facing us," said Safoyev.