BAKU, Azerbaijan, November 3. Uzbekistan has discussed preparations for the 14th meeting of the World Trade Organization (WTO) Working Party on its accession at a meeting on November 2.
According to Uzbekistan's Committee for Food Safety, the issues were addressed during a meeting between Azizbek Urunov, the Uzbek president’s special representative for WTO affairs and chairman of the Committee for Food Safety, Sung-yo Choi, chair of the Working Party on Uzbekistan’s accession to the WTO, and Malika Oshikawa, director of the WTO Secretariat’s Accessions Division.
According to the Uzbek side, the discussions covered progress in the accession process, ongoing domestic reforms and the next stages of multilateral and bilateral negotiations.
Particular attention was paid to preparations for the 14th meeting of the Working Party. The priorities include completing outstanding bilateral negotiations with WTO members, reaching mutually acceptable agreements on the wording of Uzbekistan’s final commitments, agreeing on relevant sections of the Working Party report and preparing the necessary final documents.
Moreover, the parties discussed resolving outstanding issues in the multilateral negotiations and completing the remaining accession procedures within the established time frame.
Uzbekistan held the 13th meeting of the Working Party in July 2026. The country has also made progress in bilateral negotiations with WTO members on market access conditions.
Uzbekistan's WTO accession remains a key priority of its foreign economic policy. The process involves aligning national legislation with international trade rules, improving trade procedures and expanding access for domestic businesses to international markets.
An important part of the process involves bringing regulations on sanitary and phytosanitary measures, food safety, veterinary services and plant quarantine into line with international standards. Uzbekistan is also working to strengthen the institutional capacity of its Committee for Food Safety, improve product quality and expand the country's export potential.
Following the meeting, both sides emphasized the importance of accelerating the accession process, resolving outstanding issues through constructive dialogue and ensuring thorough preparation for the next stage of negotiations.
