TASHKENT (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 28th April, 2023) Uzbekistan is actively negotiating its accession with the member states of the World Trade Organization (WTO), Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev said on Thursday.
"Currently, the talks with the member states of the World Trade Organization are well underway, as well as the harmonization of the national legislation in accordance with the WTO rules," Mirziyoyev said in an opening statement at an investment forum in Tashkent.
He added that the acceleration of Uzbekistan's accession to the WTO has been driven by Tashkent's willingness to bring national products to new global markets.
"The requirements of the World Trade Organization are fully compatible with the contents of our reforms, and we are interested in becoming a member of this respected organization as soon as possible," the president said.
In 1994, Uzbekistan obtained observer status in the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade, the WTO's predecessor. The working group for the country's accession to the WTO was established in 1998.
In 2020, the representatives of the Uzbek government, the WTO and a number of countries held an online-meeting of the working group after a 15-year hiatus.
In June 2022, negotiations between Uzbekistan and the members of the WTO on the republic's accession to the organization started.
