Baku, Azerbaijan, March 14
By Fikret Dolukhanov – Trend:
The procedure of Uzbekistan's joining the World Trade Organization consists of several stages and may take up to several years, considering the experience of recently joined countries, Uzbek media reported on March 14 citing Foreign Trade Minister Jamshid Hojayev.
The remark was made during the meeting with representatives of international organizations in Tashkent on March 13.
“This is the so-called preparation period which will be maximally used by Uzbekistan to analyze and assess consequences of membership in the organization, considers advantages and possible risks, as well as preventive measures,” the minister noted.
“To avoid negative effect of the WTO membership on the Uzbek economy the process is planned to begin after the thorough assessment of readiness of certain sectors of economy, various groups of local goods manufacturers and corresponding state economy management mechanisms,” he stressed.
Hojayev also added that Uzbekistan plans to carry out measures aimed at increasing competitiveness of local enterprises by renewal of their technical and technological potentials, as well as expanding state support of science and technical solutions and their implementation.
The meeting with representatives of the Asian Development Bank, the United States Agency for International Development the EU delegation to Uzbekistan, the German Corporation for International Cooperation (GIZ) and others was organized by the Uzbek Foreign Trade Ministry with support of the UN Development Program. The meeting discussed Uzbekistan joining the WTO and attraction of technical assistance.
The Foreign Trade Ministry said that the Cabinet of Ministers approved the roadmap, which includes 34 measures aimed at preparing documentation to resume the process of joining the WTO and adaptation of the national legislation.The action is expected to ensure efficient systematic work and regular monitoring into the process.