The visit of the head of WTO Negotiations Group to Geneva took place

On December 7-9 this year, Deputy Minister of Investment and Foreign Trade, Chief of Negotiating Unit on Work with the World Trade Organization (WTO) B.Abidov visited Geneva to hold a series of bilateral talks with WTO member countries in the framework of Uzbekistan's accession to the Organization as well as to participate in the Forum on Foreign Trade Strategies organized by International Trade Center UNCTAD/WTO (ITC).

During the visit, regular negotiations on Uzbekistan's accession to WTO were held with heads and experts of diplomatic missions of 14 countries to the Organization, such as USA, EU, China, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Turkiye, Singapore and others. The sides also held meetings with the WTO Deputy Director General J.M.Pogam and the head of the WTO Secretariat Accession Department M.Oshikawa.

During the talks the participants discussed issues related to the ongoing preparations for the sixth session of the Working Party on Uzbekistan's accession to the WTO, as well as practical measures to further accelerate the process. Separate negotiations on market access for goods and services of Uzbekistan were held with the member states of the WTO.

Representatives of states and the WTO Secretariat noted that Uzbekistan has submitted to member states all the new documents necessary for the organization of the 6th session of the Working Party, including written answers to the questions of interested states, updated documents on the plan of legislative measures aimed at harmonizing national legislation with the WTO rules, sanitary and phytosanitary measures, technical barriers to trade, customs evaluation, intellectual property, import licensing and others.

As a result of negotiations, an agreement was reached on further accelerating the process of Uzbekistan's accession to the WTO, including holding the 6th meeting of the Working Party in early 2023 in accordance with the Organization's calendar of events. On December 8-9, the delegation of Uzbekistan headed by the Deputy Minister of Investment and Foreign Trade B.Abidov took part in the Forum on foreign trade strategies.