·
Working
Party meeting held: The 13th Meeting of the WTO Working Party on the Accession of
Uzbekistan was held on 27–28
July 2026.
·
2026
accession target reaffirmed: Uzbekistan reiterated
its determination to complete
its WTO accession process within 2026.
·
Chief
Negotiator's assurance: Azizbek Urunov,
Representative of the President of Uzbekistan on the WTO and Chief Negotiator,
stressed that sustained engagement with WTO members and timely resolution of
outstanding issues are essential to conclude the accession process.
·
High-level
delegation: Uzbekistan was represented by a 30-member senior delegation,
including officials from:
o Food Safety Committee.
o Ministry of Economy and Finance.
o Ministry of Agriculture.
o Ministry of Justice.
o Other ministries and agencies participated
virtually from Tashkent.
·
Advanced
stage of negotiations: Uzbekistan stated that
the accession process has reached a more
advanced stage, reflected in:
o A declining number of questions from WTO
members.
o Significant progress across key
negotiating tracks.
·
Major
legislative reforms: Since March 2026, Uzbekistan has aligned 190 legislative acts
with WTO rules, including reforms relating to:
o Sanitary and Phytosanitary (SPS) measures.
o Food safety regulations.
o Establishment of a unified Food Safety Committee.
o Updated draft laws on:
§ Anti-dumping.
§ Countervailing measures.
§ Safeguard measures.
·
Progress
in bilateral market access negotiations:
Working Party Chair Ambassador
Sung-yo Choi (Republic of Korea)
reported that 31 bilateral
market access agreements, including the latest agreement with India,
have been deposited with the WTO Secretariat.
·
Near
completion of market access pillar: The
Chair described bilateral market access negotiations as "very close to conclusion"
and urged remaining members to finalise negotiations promptly.
·
Members
welcomed reforms: WTO members appreciated Uzbekistan's
efforts to:
o Privatise state-owned enterprises.
o Improve transparency.
o Create a more predictable business
environment.
·
Outstanding
concerns: Members sought further clarification on:
o Foreign exchange and payment policies.
o Import regulations.
o Trade facilitation.
o Investment policies.
o Competition policy.
o Technical Barriers to Trade (TBT).
·
Further
reforms encouraged: Members encouraged Uzbekistan to continue
reforms relating to:
o State-owned enterprises.
o Agricultural support measures.
o Participation in selected WTO plurilateral
initiatives after accession.
·
WTO
Secretariat's support: Speaking on behalf of
the WTO Director-General, Deputy
Director-General Xiangchen Zhang
noted that the short interval since the previous meeting demonstrated the
strong commitment of both Uzbekistan and WTO members to advance the accession
process.
·
Benefits
of WTO accession: Zhang emphasised that WTO membership
would:
o Anchor economy-wide reforms.
o Improve economic resilience.
o Strengthen the multilateral trading system
through updated rules and expanded market access.
·
Focus
on remaining negotiations: Ambassador Choi stated
that successful accession is achievable if both Uzbekistan and WTO members
resolve outstanding issues in a timely manner.
·
Negotiating
priority: Mr. Urunov
urged negotiators to:
o Finalise the remaining commitment
language.
o Reach balanced and workable solutions.
o Translate negotiated progress into agreed
legal commitments.
·
Momentum
to continue: The Working Party Chair encouraged all
parties to maintain the current pace of negotiations to bring Uzbekistan's
accession "closer to
the finishing line" in the coming months.
·
Next
Working Party meeting: The next meeting is
expected to be held in late
autumn 2026, after the circulation of the remaining accession
documents.
·
Background:
Uzbekistan applied for WTO
membership in 1994 and has been actively negotiating accession since 2020.
[ABS News Service/01.08.2026]
Uzbekistan
reaffirmed its determination to complete its WTO accession process within 2026 at
a meeting of the Working Party on the Accession of Uzbekistan on 27 and 28 July,
soon after its last meeting in March. The head of Uzbekistan's delegation, Chief
Negotiator Azizbek Urunov, stressed that maintaining a strong pace of engagement
and addressing members' remaining concerns will be critical to bringing the accession
process to a successful conclusion.
The
high-level delegation from Tashkent comprised 30 senior government officials, including
Azizbek Urunov, Representative of the President of Uzbekistan on the WTO, Chief
Negotiator and Head of Uzbekistan's Food Safety Committee, Akhadbek
Khaydarov, Deputy Minister of Economy and Finance, Akmal Kosimov, Deputy Minister
of Agriculture, and Makhmud Istamov, Deputy Minister of Justice. Other senior government
officials and experts from a range of ministries and agencies joined virtually from
Tashkent.
Uzbekistan's
Chief Negotiator reiterated the government's "full commitment to working intensively
and constructively with WTO members", noting that "Uzbekistan's accession
process has reached a more advanced stage" since the last Working Party meeting.
This is evidenced by "a declining number of questions posed by members, indicating
that Uzbekistan is progressively addressing their concerns," he said. He also
noted advanced progress in the other principal negotiating tracks. "Maintaining
this pace is particularly important in light of Uzbekistan's objective of completing
its accession process in 2026," he added.
Mr
Urunov reported that Uzbekistan has brought 190 acts of
legislation into conformity with WTO rules since March, notably in sanitary and
phytosanitary standards (SPS) and food safety, including by establishing a unified
Food Safety Committee. It has also updated draft legislation on anti-dumping, countervailing
and safeguard measures.
The
chair of the Working Party, Ambassador Sung-yo Choi (Republic
of Korea), noted that to date, 31 bilateral market access agreements, most recently
with India, have been deposited with the WTO Secretariat. She urged all remaining
parties to finalize their bilateral engagements as soon as possible, stressing that
this accession pillar is "very close to conclusion".
Members
welcomed these developments but noted that the pace of adoption of certain legislation
was slower than expected. They expressed appreciation for Uzbekistan's continued
reforms, which included the privatization of state-owned enterprises and the creation
of a more transparent and predictable business environment. They posed questions
to Uzbekistan about its policies on foreign exchange and payments, import regulations,
trade facilitation, investment and competition policies, and technical barriers
to trade, among other topics. They also encouraged the government to undertake further
reforms, including on state-owned enterprises and agricultural support. Some also
encouraged Uzbekistan to join certain WTO plurilateral initiatives upon accession.
Speaking
on behalf of the WTO Director-General, Deputy Director-General Xiangchen Zhang thanked Uzbekistan and members for their commitment
and engagement in the accession process. He noted that the short interval since
the last meeting reflects a "commitment and determination to move the process
forward".
"WTO
accession can help economies build resilience by anchoring an economy-wide reform
process. It can also strengthen the WTO by updating rules and expanding market access,"
he stressed.
While
important work remains, the chair noted, concluding this accession is doable if
both Uzbekistan and members commit to addressing the outstanding issues in a timely
manner, she stressed. Mr Urunov called on negotiators
to "focus on converging on the remaining commitment language to find workable
and balanced solutions". He stressed that the Working Party should focus on
"translating the progress already achieved into agreed language, close the
remaining gaps and bring the accession process to completion."
Next
steps
Ambassador
Choi congratulated members and Uzbekistan on their commitment to maintaining momentum
for this accession process. She encouraged them to sustain progress so that they
can "bring this accession closer to the finishing line in the coming months".
She expressed her hope to convene the next Working Party meeting in the late autumn
once all the required documentation has been circulated.
This
was the 13th meeting of the Working Party on the Accession of Uzbekistan. Uzbekistan
applied for WTO membership in 1994 and has actively been negotiating its membership
terms with WTO members since 2020.