Uzbekistan Finalizes WTO Accession Talks with EU

Uzbekistan has successfully concluded its negotiations with the European Union regarding its accession to the World Trade Organization (WTO), according to a statement from the presidential press service.

A meeting between President Shavkat Mirziyoyev, European Council President António Costa, and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen took place at the headquarters of the European Council - the Europa Building - in Brussels, The Caspian Post reports, citing Uzbek media.

The parties welcomed the completion of bilateral negotiations between Uzbekistan and the EU on the country’s WTO accession.

The European Commission also confirmed the conclusion of bilateral negotiations on market access for goods and services. The agreement sets out Uzbekistan’s commitments on tariffs for goods and its concessions in the services sector, which will be formalized in the WTO accession protocol.

According to Azizbek Urunov, the President’s Special Representative for WTO affairs, Uzbekistan has finalized market access negotiations with all 27 EU member states, including agreements on export and import tariffs and services.

“It has been a journey of more than two years of active negotiations, dialogue, analysis, and joint work, filled with dedication, determination, and collaboration - all of which have led to today’s mutually beneficial outcome,” Urunov wrote on LinkedIn.

He noted that the European Union became the 31st WTO member to conclude bilateral negotiations with Uzbekistan, following Panama, with which an agreement was signed last week. “It is now official: 31 countries have concluded negotiations, with only three remaining,” he added.

In March, Uzbekistan partially completed negotiations with the EU as part of its WTO accession process, reaching agreements on services while finalizing talks on goods was expected “in the coming months.”

In September, Uzbekistan signed bilateral market access protocols with Argentina, Australia, and Honduras, bringing the total number of concluded agreements to 29. Urunov earlier reported that “principled agreements” had also been reached with two other WTO members.