Tashkent: Uzbekistan has completed bilateral negotiations with the US on joining the World Trade Organization, as confirmed by Azizbek Urunov, the Special Representative of the President of Uzbekistan on WTO Issues, via LinkedIn.

According to Trend News Agency, Urunov expressed satisfaction after 14 months of negotiations with the United States, marking the 21st country on Uzbekistan’s journey towards WTO membership. He highlighted the challenging yet meaningful nature of the talks, attributing their success to the political support and supervision from President Shavkat Mirziyoyev, along with the Presidential Administration and the Interagency Commission. Urunov also acknowledged the constructive engagement of the United States Trade Representative, the ambassador of Uzbekistan in the US, and other involved parties.

The working group for Uzbekistan’s WTO membership was originally established in 1994, with the process officially revived following the fourth meeting of the group in July 2020. Since then, fou
r additional meetings have taken place between 2022 and 2024.

Uzbekistan aims to secure its WTO membership ahead of the 14th ministerial conference scheduled in Cameroon in 2026. This ambition was reiterated by Deputy Prime Minister Jamshid Khodjaev, who leads Uzbekistan’s delegation at the eighth meeting of the working group focused on the country’s bid to join the WTO.