Uzbekistan reaffirms 2026 WTO accession goal, thanks members for continuing engagement

The high-level delegation from Tashkent comprised 30 senior government officials, including Azizbek Urunov, Representative of the President of Uzbekistan on the WTO, Chief Negotiator and Head of Uzbekistan's Food Safety Committee, Akhadbek Khaydarov, Deputy Minister of Economy and Finance, Akmal Kosimov, Deputy Minister of Agriculture, and Makhmud Istamov, Deputy Minister of Justice. Other senior government officials and experts from a range of ministries and agencies joined virtually from Tashkent.

Uzbekistan's Chief Negotiator reiterated the government's "full commitment to working intensively and constructively with WTO members", noting that "Uzbekistan's accession process has reached a more advanced stage" since the last Working Party meeting. This is evidenced by "a declining number of questions posed by members, indicating that Uzbekistan is progressively addressing their concerns," he said. He also noted advanced progress in the other principal negotiating tracks. "Maintaining this pace is particularly important in light of Uzbekistan's objective of completing its accession process in 2026," he added.

Mr Urunov reported that Uzbekistan has brought 190 acts of legislation into conformity with WTO rules since March, notably in sanitary and phytosanitary standards (SPS) and food safety, including by establishing a unified Food Safety Committee. It has also updated draft legislation on anti-dumping, countervailing and safeguard measures. The Chief Negotiator's statement is available here. 

The chair of the Working Party, Ambassador Sung-yo Choi (Republic of Korea), noted that to date, 31 bilateral market access agreements, most recently with India, have been deposited with the WTO Secretariat. She urged all remaining parties to finalize their bilateral engagements as soon as possible, stressing that this accession pillar is "very close to conclusion".

Members welcomed these developments but noted that the pace of adoption of certain legislation was slower than expected. They expressed appreciation for Uzbekistan's continued reforms, which included the privatization of state-owned enterprises and the creation of a more transparent and predictable business environment. They posed questions to Uzbekistan about its policies on foreign exchange and payments, import regulations, trade facilitation, investment and competition policies, and technical barriers to trade, among other topics. They also encouraged the government to undertake further reforms, including on state-owned enterprises and agricultural support. Some also encouraged Uzbekistan to join certain WTO plurilateral initiatives upon accession.

Speaking on behalf of the WTO Director-General, Deputy Director-General Xiangchen Zhang thanked Uzbekistan and members for their commitment and engagement in the accession process. He noted that the short interval since the last meeting reflects a "commitment and determination to move the process forward". 

"WTO accession can help economies build resilience by anchoring an economy-wide reform process. It can also strengthen the WTO by updating rules and expanding market access," he stressed.

While important work remains, the chair noted, concluding this accession is doable if both Uzbekistan and members commit to addressing the outstanding issues in a timely manner, she stressed. Mr Urunov called on negotiators to "focus on converging on the remaining commitment language to find workable and balanced solutions". He stressed that the Working Party should focus on "translating the progress already achieved into agreed language, close the remaining gaps and bring the accession process to completion."

Next steps

Ambassador Choi congratulated members and Uzbekistan on their commitment to maintaining momentum for this accession process. She encouraged them to sustain progress so that they can "bring this accession closer to the finishing line in the coming months". She expressed her hope to convene the next Working Party meeting in the late autumn once all the required documentation has been circulated.

This was the 13^th meeting of the Working Party on the Accession of Uzbekistan. Uzbekistan applied for WTO membership in 1994 and has actively been negotiating its membership terms with WTO members since 2020.

More information on Uzbekistan's accession process can be found here.

Information about WTO accessions is available here.