Turkmen Experts Studied Uzbekistan's Experience of WTO Accession at a Meeting in Geneva
A delegation from Turkmenistan participated as an observer in the 13th meeting of the Working Party on the Accession of the Republic of Uzbekistan to the World Trade Organization (WTO). The event was held on July 27–28 at WTO headquarters in Geneva.
The Turkmen delegation included representatives of the Cabinet of Ministers, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and the Ministry of Finance and Economy.
Working at WTO headquarters allowed the Turkmen specialists to study the mechanisms of the accession negotiation process firsthand. Furthermore, the visit further confirmed Turkmenistan's support for Uzbekistan on its path to integration into the multilateral trading system.
Over the course of two days, representatives of WTO member states, the delegation of Uzbekistan, and the Secretariat thoroughly reviewed the draft Working Party Report. Participants discussed obligations under multilateral agreements, market access conditions for goods and services, and the harmonization of national legislation with WTO standards.
For Turkmenistan, which is also working toward closer ties with the World Trade Organization, participation in the meeting had direct practical significance. The country's representatives learned about modern approaches to multilateral negotiations and the rules of interaction between a candidate state, the Secretariat, and WTO members.
The experience gained in Geneva will serve to strengthen the negotiating capacity of Turkmen specialists, improve the effectiveness of interagency coordination, and better prepare the country for the subsequent stages of its own WTO accession process.
