The UK has expressed its support for Uzbekistan's accession to the WTO.

The United Kingdom has expressed its support for Uzbekistan regarding its accession to the World Trade Organization, according to the news agency Dunyo.

The President's Special Representative for WTO Affairs, Azizbek Urunov, met last week with Gareth Thomas, Deputy Minister for Business and Trade for Export Affairs, as well as with senior officials from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. He described the week of negotiations as "productive."

"Both sides are demonstrating a commitment to finalize [the negotiations], and it won't take long," Urunov stated on his LinkedIn page on February 14.

The British side has shown interest in deepening relations with Uzbekistan. Tashkent is viewed as one of London's key partners in Central Asia, as emphasized during the talks.

As a result of the meeting, the parties agreed to expand technical support for Uzbekistan's WTO accession under the World Bank's economic growth and development program. There are also plans to work on enhancing the skills and qualifications of specialists in the field of international trade.

In January, the assistant to President Shavkat Mirziyoyev published an overview of Uzbekistan's WTO accession process. Over the course of 2024, the country completed bilateral negotiations with 15 countries, including the USA, China, and Japan, with the number of signed agreements reaching 23.

Additionally, 20 laws aimed at increasing business transparency and competition were adopted. Mirziyoyev noted that Uzbekistan "will continue at the same pace" to achieve full membership in the WTO and enhance its investment attractiveness.

Accession to the WTO

In April 2023, Shavkat Mirziyoyev instructed the government to expedite Uzbekistan's efforts to obtain WTO membership. The head of state emphasized the importance of this step for significantly increasing exports, particularly of finished products.

In the summer of the same year, the position of special representative of the president for WTO issues was established, and it was mandated to create units for interaction with the WTO in 20 ministries. The president also imposed a ban on creating regulatory acts that do not comply with the organization's standards.

At the 78th session of the UN General Assembly in September 2023, the president identified the swift accession to the WTO as a priority task for Uzbekistan. The Director-General of the organization, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, agreed to expedite the next meeting of the working group on this matter.

Uzbekistan plans to join the WTO before the 14th Ministerial Conference, which will take place in 2026 in Cameroon. During an open dialogue with business representatives in August of this year, Mirziyoyev referred to accession to the WTO as "an integral part of reforms."

The first deputy head of the Tax Committee, Mubin Mirzaev, reported that Uzbekistan will receive a transition period of 2-3 years upon joining the WTO. Customs duties will be established based on agreements with other member countries of the organization.

Minister of Economy and Finance Jamshid Kuchkarov, in his speech before the Oliy Majlis on November 27 regarding the abolition of benefits for exporters, described the WTO as "a generally fair trading system." Local entrepreneurs must learn to operate under conditions of open competition, he emphasized.

Earlier, Spot reported that the British company Intertek would assist Uzbekistan with product certification and labeling.