Special Representative of the President discussed in Geneva the issue of accelerating Uzbekistan's accession to the WTO

Special Representative of the President of Uzbekistan to the World Trade Organization (WTO), Chief Negotiator Azizbek Orunov and Deputy Minister of Agriculture Ahadbek Khaydarov visited Geneva.

It is noted that the visit was organized in order to familiarize the member states of the organization with the results of the ongoing work to intensify the processes of Uzbekistan's membership in the WTO, as well as to participate in the 15th meeting of the Azerbaijan Working Group on WTO membership.

During the visit, the delegation of Uzbekistan met with WTO Director General Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala and her deputy Xianchen Zhang. A number of bilateral negotiations were also held on entering the market of goods and services with some countries of Latin America, the Asia-Pacific region, Europe and the Arab world.

The WTO leadership highly appreciated the recent decision of the President of Uzbekistan to intensify the process of the country's entry into the organization. The commitment of the WTO Secretariat was expressed to provide all possible assistance to Uzbekistan in the process of accession and to intensify bilateral cooperation in order to promptly resolve emerging problems.

Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala also stated that she was ready to provide technical assistance to Uzbekistan in order to support bilateral and multilateral negotiations with WTO member countries. From this point of view, the parties discussed the possibility of attracting expert assistance from a number of international consultants.

During the visit, the delegation, together with the WTO Secretariat, prepared all the fundamental documents for holding the 7th meeting of the working group of Uzbekistan on WTO membership conditionally in September-October 2023.

In early June, the post of Special Representative for the World Trade Organization was introduced in Uzbekistan. One of the main tasks of the Special Representative is to coordinate work to speed up the process of joining the WTO, to ensure the effectiveness of the activities of the responsible ministries and departments.

What does membership in the organization give Uzbekistan?
Uzbekistan can benefit from WTO membership in several ways:

Access to new markets: By becoming a member of the WTO, Uzbekistan will gain access to wider markets around the world. This will help increase exports and increase foreign investment in the country. As a result, economic growth will accelerate and more jobs will be created.

Improved trade rules: As a member of the WTO, Uzbekistan is required to comply with the rules and requirements of international trade. This can help improve the country's business environment, increase transparency in trade practices, and reduce corruption.

Intellectual Property Protection: The WTO provides a framework for protecting intellectual property rights, which is important for Uzbekistan's growing technology and creative industries.

Dispute Resolution: The WTO provides a platform for resolving international trade disputes. By joining the organization, Uzbekistan will have the opportunity to use a mechanism that helps to fairly and impartially resolve disputes with other countries.

In general, membership in the WTO will help Uzbekistan integrate more fully into the world economy, improve trade practices and promote economic development. Negotiations in this regard have made significant progress in recent years.

source: daryo.uz