Baku, Azerbaijan, Apr. 24
By Azad Hasanli – Trend:
Azerbaijan is still in the process of negotiating its accession to the World Trade Organization (WTO), the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) said in a message on its website.
Implementation of the WTO Trade Facilitation Agreement (TFA), which entered into force Feb. 22, 2017, would thus be included in the package of obligations for Azerbaijan upon its accession, the message said.
In this regard, the Azerbaijani government requested the UNECE, in collaboration with the UNCTAD (the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development), to prepare an assessment of Azerbaijan’s readiness to implement the WTO TFA, according to the message.
The issue was at the center of discussions at an opening seminar organized jointly by the UNECE and the UNCTAD, the Azerbaijani Ministry of Economy and the German Society for International Cooperation (GIZ) March 29-30, 2017, the message said.
The seminar recommended that the assessment present a categorization of the 36 measures contained in the WTO TFA into measures that are ready; measures that need further work, but can be implemented by Azerbaijan alone, and measures for which more time and international assistance would be needed, according to the UNECE.
The assessment report by the UNECE should be ready in early July 2017, allowing for validation by stakeholders before the next meeting of the Working Party on Azerbaijan’s accession to the WTO, said the message.
Azerbaijan has had an observer status at the WTO since 1997. Azerbaijan’s Working Party at the organization was established on July 16, 1997.
Azerbaijan began negotiations with WTO member states in 2004. Currently, the country negotiates with a number of countries.
As of today, Azerbaijan has completed the negotiations and has signed protocols with Turkey, Oman, the UAE, Georgia and Kyrgyzstan. The country is at the stage of signing protocols with China and Moldova.