Azerbaijan, Baku /corr Trend I.Khalilova / The State Commission for Azerbaijan's Entrance to the World Trade Organization (WTO) sent to the WTO Secretariat the replies to questions of the WTO member-countries late last week, a Government source informed.
If the replies are confirmed, the fifth round of negotiations on Azerbaijan's entrance to the WTO may take place in April. The dates of bilateral negotiations with Turkey, USA and European Union will also depend upon it.
The Government excluded that the decrees by the President and Cabinet of Ministers could complicate the process of talks.
The new proposals reflect services, liberalization of the trade regime, especially customs duties.
According to the requirements of the WTO, an equal regime should be applied for imported and local goods and services. In particular equal tariffs should be defined for excise tax. The customs tariffs are main measures to protect the internal market because the country should create maximum favorable conditions for its host manufacturers. The positions of the EU and USA are that the countries entering into the WTO take maximum obligations on customs tariffs.
At present negotiations have been fully completed with Oman, Georgia and Moldavia. These countries accept our proposals and agree to sign proposals.