Comoros Becomes 165th WTO Member, 22 more in Queue

[ABS News Service/22.08.2024]

Comoros has become the 165th member of the World Trade Organization, after 17 years of negotiating its accession terms with WTO members.

It is the 10th least-developed country to accede to the WTO through negotiations, the WTO said yesterday.

Comoros also announced its formal acceptance of the WTO Agreement on Fisheries Subsidies, bringing the total number of acceptances of the Agreement to 82.

WTO members officially approved the WTO accession of Comoros during a special ceremony at the 13th WTO Ministerial Conference in Abu Dhabi on February 26.

Twenty-two governments, including eight African countries, are still negotiating their WTO accession. Timor-Leste is next on the list, with its WTO membership is due to become effective on August 30.

Comoros is an island off the coast of Madagascar with a population of just 9 lakhs. It is dominated by Muslims with a French Arab background.