Uzbekistan and the World Trade Organization (WTO) have discussed further steps towards completing the country's accession negotiations, focusing particularly on preparations for the 14th meeting of the Working Party on Uzbekistan's accession.

The meeting brought together Azizbek Urunov, the President's Representative for WTO Affairs and Chairman of the Committee for Food Safety, Working Party Chair Sung-Yeop Choi, and M. Osikawa, Director of the WTO Secretariat's Accessions Division, The Caspian Post reports, citing UzDaily.

The discussions focused on Uzbekistan's progress towards WTO membership, ongoing reforms, and the next stages of multilateral and bilateral consultations.

Participants highlighted the need to conclude the remaining bilateral negotiations with WTO member states and reach mutually acceptable agreements on market access conditions. Other priorities included finalising the texts of Uzbekistan's commitments, preparing the relevant sections of the Working Party report, and completing the required final documents.

The sides also reviewed unresolved issues in the multilateral negotiations and the procedures needed to complete the accession process within the established timeframe.

The 13th meeting of the Working Party on Uzbekistan's accession to the WTO was held in July 2026. Significant progress was also achieved in bilateral negotiations with member states on market access conditions.

Participants stressed the importance of thorough preparations for the upcoming meeting and resolving outstanding issues through constructive dialogue.

One of the key areas of work involves aligning national legislation with international trade rules, particularly in sanitary and phytosanitary measures, food safety, veterinary regulation, and plant quarantine.

Improving the operations of the Committee for Food Safety, introducing international standards, and strengthening the country's export potential are also considered important elements of Uzbekistan's WTO accession process.

Joining the organisation remains a priority of Uzbekistan's foreign economic policy. The process involves reforming trade procedures, aligning national legislation with international trade rules, and expanding domestic producers' access to foreign markets.