BAKU, Azerbaijan, June 6. A new position of special representative of the President of Uzbekistan on WTO issues was introduced in the structure of the Presidential Administration as part of the intensification of the processes of Uzbekistan's accession to the World Trade Organization (WTO), Trend reports.
By a presidential decree dated June 2, Aziz Urunov, who previously held the position of a responsible employee of the Presidential Administration, was appointed to the position of special representative of the head of state.
The special representative will perform several functions: he will become the chief negotiator and head of the negotiating group, as well as deputy chairman of the interdepartmental commission for work with the WTO, which is headed by Deputy Prime Minister Jamshid Khodjaev.
The tasks of the special representative include intensifying the process of Uzbekistan's accession to the WTO, developing a clear position on each issue under discussion during negotiations on membership in the organization, holding negotiations with member states and maintaining ongoing working contacts with the WTO secretariat and member countries to promote the position of Uzbekistan.
According to the decree, from July 1, the development of draft legal acts that do not comply with the rules and norms of the WTO will be prohibited in Uzbekistan.
A group will be set up within the Ministry of Justice to harmonize national legislation with the WTO agreements.
Moreover, a department for work with the WTO and trade negotiations will be formed in the structure of the Ministry of Investments, Industry and Trade.
New posts will be introduced, including the post of First Secretary for WTO Affairs at the UN Office at Geneva and other permanent missions of Uzbekistan to international organizations. All of these new positions will be created by optimizing existing staff.
In 2023, 30 billion soum ($2.6 million) will be allocated for the implementation of activities related to Uzbekistan's accession to the WTO, including 10 billion soum ($880,000) from the reserve fund of the Cabinet of Ministers and 20 billion soum ($1.8 million) from the funds of the Export Support Agency.
Additionally, the updated composition of the interdepartmental commission and the working group for negotiations with the WTO was approved.
Uzbekistan launched an initiative to join the WTO in 1994 but suspended the process in 2005. In 2020, work on joining the organization was resumed at the first meeting. In mid-March of this year, the sixth meeting of the working group on Uzbekistan's accession to the WTO took place in Geneva.