Azerbaijan came to the stage of full-scale negotiations on joining the World Trade Organization, Trend reports quoting Shovgi Mehtizadeh, official of Azeri Foreign Ministry.
Mehtizadeh said the negotiations are led in all formats set forth by WTO procedures. These are multilateral negotiations, negotiations on foreign trade, access to goods and services market, as well as agriculture subsiding. He said the work on joining WTO has been led for about 8 years and only in 2004 some advancemans have been achieved on this matter.
Compared to such countries as Russia, Ukraine, Kazakhstan, which shall become WTO members in short, Azerbaijan still has much to do in this respect. The main partners final agreement will be signed with are the US, the EU, Australia and Canada.
The issue of significant importance is that on raising public awareness, which shall boost partnership between state structures and public associations. In particular, said Fikert Jafarov, chairman of For sustainable development NGO, due to increase of necessity in informing the public of negotiations with WTO, in the future public representatives shall take part in negotiations alongside Foreign Ministry officials.