Uzbekistan is concerned about potential delays in its accession process to the World Trade Organization, the Presidential WTO Envoy and the chief negotiator Azizbek Urunov said speaking at a meeting of the WTO General Council.
At the beginning of his remarks, he stated that Uzbekistan considered bilateral negotiations with Saudi Arabia to be complete.
According to Urunov, on the eve of the General Council meeting the Uzbek delegation also met with the chairperson of the working group on the country's accession to the WTO.
"She noted that she would adhere to an exclusively factual approach to our accession process," he noted, adding that he would like to supplement the discussion with concrete facts.
The first such fact, Urunov cited, was Uzbekistan's full commitment to WTO accession.
"The government of Uzbekistan is fully committed to the WTO accession process, has implemented significant reforms, and remains open and ready to discuss any remaining issues," he stated.
He also stressed that the country needed "consistent and substantive feedback" from members of the working group. He stated that Uzbekistan shared the position of many WTO members that it was feasible to complete the process by the 14th Ministerial Conference in March 2026.
Meanwhile, he noted concerns about potential delays.
"We are increasingly concerned that the process may encounter nondeliberate slowdowns. This perception is based on the nature, timing, and content of some questions received during the working group's work cycles," he stated.
Speaking about bilateral negotiations on market access, Azizbek Urunov stated that Uzbekistan was in the final stage of this process.
"We have already made agreements with 33 countries and signed protocols with 30 of them," he noted.
He stated that negotiations on market access could have been completed by October. However, some protocols remain unsigned for reasons unrelated to market access.
"Market access issues are mentioned in a number of cases, but they have not been raised substantively at the negotiating table for a long time," the presidential spokesman noted.
Separately, Azizbek Urunov emphasized that Uzbekistan does not see its WTO accession as a favor made to the country.
Uzbekistan does not seek membership as a favor, but rather offers a genuine win-win partnership, he stated, recalling the country's role as a historical link on the Great Silk Road between East and West.
Speaking about next steps, he confirmed his readiness to continue working on the remaining issues.
"We are completely open and ready to continue substantive work on the remaining issues and, if necessary, implement the required changes," Urunov said, expressing hope that the process will not be subject to unnecessary delays.
In conclusion, he stated that he saw no objective obstacles to completing the accession process in the near future.
We see no objective reasons why the accession process cannot be successfully completed by the next Ministerial Conference. We see every reason for Uzbekistan, fully prepared and committed to its obligations, to be accepted into the WTO family as a constructive and responsible member, the Presidential Envoy concluded.
