Saida Mirziyoyeva, head of the Presidential Administration of Uzbekistan, held a meeting with Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, Director-General of the World Trade Organization (WTO). The parties discussed the progress of Uzbekistan's accession to the organization and the remaining work to be completed. They thoroughly reviewed the current state of integration and the prospects for concluding the negotiations.

Mirziyoyeva thanked Okonjo-Iweala for continuous support and expert assistance. "We have already covered most of the path, and now it is important to maintain the pace and bring this process to completion," she stated. According to her, Uzbekistan is committed to fulfilling all obligations required for WTO membership.

Earlier, Azizbek Urunov, Uzbekistan's presidential envoy for WTO affairs, announced that the country intends to finalize the accession process this year. To date, 31 bilateral agreements out of 34 countries on market access terms have been submitted to the WTO Secretariat. These figures indicate significant progress on Uzbekistan's path to membership.

The chair of the working party, Ambassador Choi Seok-young of the Republic of Korea, urged countries with unfinished negotiations to resolve remaining issues as soon as possible. She emphasized that prolonging the process could negatively affect Uzbekistan's accession prospects.

Uzbekistan's WTO accession is of great importance for the country's economy. It will expand trade ties, attract investment, and open access to international markets. However, some experts note that the process may be lengthy and accompanied by challenges.

Source: www.uznews.uz