Azerbaijan, Baku / Trend corr.S.Agayeva / Mahmud Mammadguliyev, the Azerbaijani Interior Minister and also the head of the negotiation group on joining Azerbaijan to the World Trade Organization (WTO), stated on 6 July that Azerbaijan attempted to carry out all WTO's comments regarding the improvement of issues concerning the unification of legislation of organization requirements. WTO's remarks focused on State prices, taxes and custom issues.
"Should our aim be achieved on those issues within September and October, the meeting of the task group on Azerbaijan will be held," deputy Minister said.
According to Mammadguliyev, the date for the next negotiations of the Azerbaijan Government with the WTO's task group will depend upon the acceleration of the unification process of the state legislation in compliance with requirements of the organization.
The Azerbaijani negotiation group to join the WTO held an unofficial meeting with the task group in Geneva on 21 June. Necessary work was carried out by Azerbaijan with the task group after the meeting held in 30 March 2006.
Azerbaijan has held four meetings with WTO so far. The first two meetings were dedicated to the foreign trade regime. In 2005, during the latest two years, the country proceeded with full-scale negotiations.
Azerbaijan was preparing for the regular round of talks at the end of last year. However, WTO countries requested additional information. New proposals on price, anti-monopoly, customs, and taxes policy were put forward.
In 1997, Azerbaijan achieved status of supervisor in the WTO.