In the first half year of 2007, Azerbaijan plans to hold bilateral negotiation with World Trade Organization (WTO) member-countries. Head of Negotiation Group for Azerbaijan entrance into the World Trade Organization (WTO) and Azerbaijan Deputy Foreign Minister, Mahmud Mammadguliyev, informed Trend that the negotiations may take place with Turkey and European Union in Baku or relevant cities.
Presently the negotiations have been fully completed with Oman, Georgia and Moldavia. We have reached agreements with these countries and they accepted our proposals and agreed to sign protocols. The signing ceremony may take place in 2007 within next round of negotiations with WTO participating countries, Mammadguliyev said.
Questions have been received from the USA, Canada, EU, Australia, Japan and China to prepare for the bilateral negotiations. USA and Canada are interested in the questions of licensing, tariff policy, customs legislation, intellectual property rights. According to the requirements of the WTO, an equal regime should be applied for imported and local goods and services. Especially equal tariffs should be defined for excise tax. The customs tariffs are main measures to protect the internal market because the country should create maximally favorable conditions for the host manufacturers. The positions of the EU and USA are that the countries entering into the WTO take maximal obligations on customs tariffs.