Uzbekistan and the European Union have concluded negotiations on services as part of the country’s accession to the World Trade Organization (WTO), Special Presidential Representative for WTO Affairs Azizbek Urunov announced, as reported by Gazeta.uz.
"This week in Brussels, we held productive bilateral negotiations with the EU on Uzbekistan’s accession to the WTO. I am pleased to announce the completion of negotiations on services. Work on goods remains, but we aim to finalize it in the coming months," he stated.
According to Urunov, during the meeting, the leadership of the Directorate-General for Trade (DG Trade) expressed full EU support for Uzbekistan’s accession to the WTO by the 14th Ministerial Conference in 2026.
In November 2024, Uzbekistan completed bilateral negotiations with the United States on WTO accession, making the U.S. the 21st country with which the republic has finalized discussions.
In March 2025, an Uzbek delegation held negotiations with Russia, addressing "unresolved issues" related to market access as part of WTO accession.
On December 20, President Shavkat Mirziyoyev stated that Uzbekistan’s accession to the World Trade Organization had entered its "final stage." He emphasized that despite the removal of some benefits that contradict WTO rules, the government will continue supporting businesses and ensuring fair competition.
In May, Deputy Prime Minister Jamshid Khodjaev announced that Uzbekistan intends to join the WTO before the 14th Ministerial Conference, scheduled to take place in Cameroon in 2026.
In total, negotiations have been completed with 21 countries. Urunov noted that Uzbekistan still needs to finalize discussions with Russia, the European Union, the United Kingdom, Switzerland, and other nations.
CentralasianLIGHT.org
March 20, 2025