Uzbekistan: new agreements on WTO accession

Uzbekistan has taken another step towards full membership in the World Trade Organization by signing market access protocols with Argentina, Australia and Honduras. These agreements reflect the country's efforts to complete bilateral negotiations, which are an important stage in the WTO accession process.

Last week in Geneva, an Uzbek delegation led by the head of the Presidential Administration, Saida Mirziyoyeva, met with representatives of the organization. During the negotiations, agreements in principle were also reached with two WTO member countries. According to Azizbek Urunov, the President's representative on joining the organization, these agreements open up additional channels for expanding trade and economic cooperation and strengthening business ties with partners from different regions of the world.

To date, negotiations with 29 countries have been completed, and there are only three states with which protocols need to be signed in order to completely close the bilateral block of negotiations. Among them, experts call Russia and the European Union.

During the summit in Geneva, Mirziyoyeva also met with WTO Director General Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, where they discussed the progress of reforms in the republic, their compliance with obligations to integrate into the global trading system and new challenges that the country faces on the way to membership.

Uzbekistan has previously completed negotiations with key partners such as the United States, China and the United Kingdom. Deputy Prime Minister Jamshid Khodjayev said in May that the republic intends to join the WTO by the 14th ministerial conference, which will be held in Cameroon in March 2026.

Full membership in the organization will be a significant milestone for the country, which creates conditions for diversifying foreign trade, increasing the competitiveness of the national economy and strengthening its position in global markets.