Uzbekistan Advances WTO Bid with EU, Ecuador Agreements

Uzbekistan has taken another step toward World Trade Organization (WTO) membership by signing new agreements with the European Union and Ecuador, furthering its accession efforts.

Azizbek Urunov, the President’s Special Representative for WTO Affairs, stated that Uzbekistan signed a bilateral market access protocol with the European Union, The Caspian Post reports, citing Uzbek media.

Writing on LinkedIn, Urunov described the agreement as “an important step forward in Uzbekistan’s WTO accession process.”

A day earlier, Uzbekistan concluded bilateral market access negotiations with Ecuador. Urunov highlighted that Ecuador is Uzbekistan’s second-largest trading partner in South America and stressed that Quito’s support is “of critical importance” to Tashkent’s WTO membership ambitions. He added that the agreement lays a strong foundation for expanding trade and economic ties between Central and South America.

The developments come as the WTO General Council convened on December 16 to begin preparatory work for the organization’s 14th Ministerial Conference, scheduled to be held in Cameroon in 2026.

Uzbekistan has accelerated its WTO negotiations in recent months. In September, it signed bilateral market access protocols with Argentina, Australia, and Honduras, bringing the total number of concluded agreements to 29. Urunov has also reported reaching “principled agreements” with two additional WTO members.

By late October, Uzbekistan had fully concluded accession negotiations with the European Union and finalized talks with Panama. In early November, the country completed bilateral negotiations with Canada, Panama, and Ecuador.

According to Urunov, Uzbekistan now needs to reach final agreements with two remaining WTO members, Russia and Taiwan, to complete the bilateral phase of its accession process.