Azerbaijan, Baku, 5 August / Trend corr. I.Khalilova / Korean Development Institute is ready to restore technical assistance to the Azerbaijani Government to join the World Trade Organization (WTO), Mahmud Mammadguliyev, the Chief of the Negotiation Group and eputy Foreign Minister, said.
"Assistance may be prolonged indifferent directions of the negotiation process," Mammadguliyev said. Korean specialists have already held workshops for Azerbaijani experts within the framework of WTO. The final workshop was held on 29 July. The system to protect domestic market to meet WTO demands, as well as the country's status in WTO as a developing country, export and diversification industry strategies, sector problems were touched upon in the workshop.
At present, according to Mammadguliyev, the country receives technical assistance via the United States Agency on International Development (USAID) and Swiss State Secretariat on Economic issues (Seco). The United States implements the technical assistance project to bring the Azerbaijani legislation to meet WTO demands.
Azerbaijan has to hold measures to upgrade the legislation to the end 2008, which envisages developing 40 new legislation acts and changes into the current normative and legal acts. The Deputy Minister believes that the country will manage to carry out these measures.
The United States has been rendering technical assistance to the Azerbaijani Government for three years to develop documents and consultative services to join WTO. Assistance is rendered via the United States Trade and Development Agency.
Seco project envisages to follow and provide security for intellectual property right, as well as to bring the legislation to meet WTO and international experience, to hold measures to reveal infringing production in borders and to make answerable. Supplements and changes are necessary to make into the Criminal and Civic Code to protect rights. Switzerland will render technical assistance to Azerbaijan for one year term.
On 4 August, the official currency rate was 0,809 AZN/USD.
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