Uzbekistan One Step Away from Joining WTO

Uzbekistan is close to completing its negotiations with Russia over joining the World Trade Organization, presidential representative Azizbek Urunov said. Talks with Moscow took place last week.

«Negotiations are practically finished: all major elements have been agreed and only a few technical points require final verification and confirmation,» Urunov wrote on LinkedIn.

It is expected that Russia will finalise the discussions by the end of the year at a WTO council meeting in Geneva, Switzerland. Urunov noted that Uzbekistan still needs to address Taiwan’s position before finalising its membership.

Russia officially joined the WTO in August 2012 after 18 years of negotiations, while Taiwan became a member in early 2002.

Kursiv also reports that Uzbekistan has concluded bilateral negotiations on market access with Ecuador on November 8.