Azerbaijan, Baku / Trend corr A. Badalova / Azerbaijani Economic Development Minister, Heydar Babayev and the US Ambassador to Azerbaijan, Anne Derse, discussed the mutual relationship of shared by the two countries, development prospects, as well as issues regarding Azerbaijan's membership in the World Trade Organization (WTO).
Amendments and supplements were made in a range of documents to bring Azerbaijan's national legislation close to WTO's requirements and to precipitate Azerbaijan's entering the organization, Babayev said. The eighth meeting of the Commission on Azerbaijan's entering WTO has taken place.
Bilateral negotiations with Georgia, Moldova, Oman, and the United Arab Emirates have been completed. The bilateral talks on goods and services are being held with the EU, Japan, Canada, South Korea, China's province of Taiwan, and the US.
According to Babayev, approx AZN 256,000 was allocated this year from the public budget for the arrangements on Azerbaijan's entering the WTO. Some AZN 800,000 is planned to be allotted in 2008.
According to Derse, the US allotted a total of $3mln for technical assistance to Azerbaijan in joining the WTO. The US is ready to render any other assistance in this process both to the Commission and the Economic Development Ministry, the Ambassador said. A project on Azerbaijan's entering the WTO was developed with US financial assistance. The US will support Azerbaijan within the framework of this project.