TASHKENT, Uzbekistan, December 20. Uzbekistan and the US signed the protocol on the completion of the bilateral market access negotiations within Uzbekistan’s WTO accession, Special Representative of the President of Uzbekistan on WTO Issues Azizbek Urunov wrote on his LinkedIn page, TurkicWorld reports.
The document was signed by Uzbekistan’s Deputy Prime Minister Jamshid Khodjaev and the US Trade Representative Katherine Tai.
"The year was historic in our WTO accession process with very promising deliverables at the year end. The team is even more focused on the implementation of the mission under President Mirziyoyev’s leadership. 2026 is not far; the commitment is here. I would extend my gratitude to the US negotiation team once again for the constructive and substantive engagement. All the credits also go to the Uzbekistan negotiation team members! Azizbek Urunov wrote.
The working group for Uzbekistan's entrance to the WTO was formed in 1994. The procedure was officially reinstated after the fourth meeting of the working group in July 2020. Four additional meetings of the working group occurred between 2022 and 2024.
Uzbekistan is gearing up to throw its hat in the ring for WTO membership before the 14th ministerial conference rolls around in Cameroon in 2026, according to Deputy Prime Minister Jamshid Khodjaev, who is at the helm of the country's delegation at the eighth meeting of the working group on Uzbekistan's bid to join the WTO.
