The WTO moderated a session titled “Central Asia in the Multilateral Trading System: The Case of Accession”, which brought together representatives of Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan and the ITC. Maika Oshikawa, Director of the WTO Accessions Division, noted that the Kyrgyz Republic was the first Central Asian country to become a WTO member in 1998 following two years and eight months of negotiations. Tajikistan followed in 2013 after 11 years and eight months of negotiations and Kazakhstan became a WTO member in 2015 after 19 years and nine months of discussions.

She also underlined that Uzbekistan started accession negotiations in 1994. However, the process stalled for 15 years between 2005 and 2020. Since then, Uzbekistan has been actively engaged in negotiations once again, holding three rounds of Working Party meetings, most recently in March.

As for Turkmenistan, it was one of the first former Soviet republics to become observer to the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) in June 1992 but it did not continue its observer status into the WTO era. Turkmenistan became WTO observer in July 2020 and started its accession process in February 2022 when its Working Party was established.

Other participants in the session were Ambassador Zhanar Aitzhanova, Permanent Representative of Kazakhstan to the WTO and former Chief Negotiator of Kazakhstan's accession; Mr Nuriddinzoda Ahliddin, Deputy Minister of Economic Development and Trade of Tajikistan; Mr Azizbek Urunov, Special Representative of the President on WTO issues and Chief Negotiator for Uzbekistan's accession; Mr Rahimberdi Jepbarov, Chairman of the Board of the State Bank for Foreign Economic Affairs of Turkmenistan; and Ms Daria Karman, Associate Programme Officer for Trade Facilitation and Policy for Business of the ITC.

The panellists explored various aspects of the accession process, including the domestic element of the process (inter-agency coordination, policy reforms and capacity building) and the negotiation track (objectives, strategy, sequencing). It was argued that acceding governments should leverage the benefits of trade opening, market access and rule-based trading to foster economic growth, attract foreign investment and enhance their competitiveness on the global stage.

Concerning the state of play in current accession negotiations, Mr Urunov underscored Uzbekistan's strong commitment to accelerating the accession negotiations and its determination to deepen its integration into the multilateral trading system. Highlighting Turkmenistan's commitment to trade reforms, Mr Jepbarov pointed to the extensive preparatory work being carried out domestically.

The panel welcomed the determination of both countries and underscored the benefits and opportunities that come with WTO membership. Participants underlined that successful accessions have a positive impact on the acceding economies and the region as a whole.  

The panel also emphasized the importance of technical assistance and capacity building to facilitate the accession processes of Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan and welcomed the support provided by the international community, including by the ITC through European Union projects.

See the full video of the session. 

For more information about the Astana International Forum and its side events, visit https://astanainternationalforum.org/program.