Tashkent, May 15, 2025 – The Europe Today: President Shavkat Mirziyoyev chaired a high-level meeting to assess the current status of Uzbekistan’s accession to the World Trade Organization (WTO), reaffirming the country’s strong commitment to advancing integration into the global trade system and instructing relevant institutions to intensify reform efforts and negotiations.
President Mirziyoyev has maintained direct oversight of the accession process since 2023, during which Uzbekistan has recorded significant progress in both multilateral and bilateral negotiation tracks. Notably, four meetings of the WTO Working Group have taken place, addressing over 500 issues related to trade, legal frameworks, and economic policy.
The President emphasized the importance of systemic reforms across key sectors to facilitate the accession process. Uzbekistan has held bilateral market access negotiations with 33 WTO member countries, concluding talks successfully with 24 of them. These efforts have received a positive response from WTO members, who commended Uzbekistan’s transparent and reform-oriented approach as evidence of its readiness to join the global trade body.
To bring national legislation into full conformity with WTO requirements, Uzbekistan has implemented broad legal and institutional reforms. These include the adoption of 13 new laws, 10 presidential decrees and resolutions, 19 Cabinet of Ministers resolutions, and 10 interagency regulatory documents. Measures have also been taken to align customs procedures, export-import operations, and intellectual property regulations with international standards. In a significant move towards market liberalization, exclusive rights previously held by six state-affiliated enterprises have been abolished.
During the meeting, President Mirziyoyev issued specific instructions to expedite Uzbekistan’s WTO accession. He directed that by the end of the current year, bilateral negotiations with the remaining nine countries must be concluded. Furthermore, two additional meetings of the Working Group are to be held, and the draft of the Group’s final report must be completed to formally outline Uzbekistan’s international obligations under the WTO framework.
The Head of State also underscored the need to accelerate the adoption of around 15 regulatory acts. This includes the development of revised versions of the laws “On the Quality and Safety of Food Products” and “On Safeguard Measures, Anti-Dumping and Countervailing Duties,” in collaboration with the Legislative Chamber of the Oliy Majlis.
Special attention was given to the advancement of reforms in technical regulation and the sanitary, phytosanitary, and veterinary fields. The President also stressed the importance of improving the quality and capacity of personnel training in these specialized areas, to ensure the effective implementation and sustainability of reforms.
Uzbekistan’s ongoing accession process to the WTO is seen as a key milestone in its broader strategy to modernize the national economy, enhance international competitiveness, and strengthen its integration into the global economic system.
