Saida Mirziyoyeva meets with WTO director-general

The head of the Presidential administration of Uzbekistan, Saida Mirziyoyeva, met with the director-general of the World Trade Organization (WTO), Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, in Geneva yesterday, September 17. Mirziyoyeva reported this on her social media page.

’’During the conversation, we openly exchanged views on the profound transformations taking place in our country, the new potential challenges on the path to WTO accession, as well as the importance of trust and cooperation,’’ Saida Mirziyoyeva wrote.

She noted that she had expressed gratitude to Ms. Ngozi for her leadership and constant support. It was also emphasized that, during this crucial period for global trade, Uzbekistan remains firmly committed to fulfilling its obligations within the framework of reforms.

It is worth noting that this was not Saida Mirziyoyeva’s first meeting with Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala. In June of last year, they met in Tashkent during a high-level conference on ’’Economic reforms in Uzbekistan and the process of accession to the World Trade Organization.’’ In September of the same year, Mirziyoyeva visited Geneva, where she also met with the director-general of the WTO.

Notably, on May 14 of this year, President Shavkat Mirziyoyev reviewed a presentation on Uzbekistan’s WTO accession process and measures to accelerate it. During the meeting, the Head of State issued instructions to expedite the accession process and ensure it is conducted in a systematic and high-quality manner.

At the end of last year, Uzbekistan concluded bilateral negotiations on WTO accession with Pakistan and Thailand. On December 19, Uzbekistan and the United States signed a protocol finalizing bilateral market access negotiations within the framework of Uzbekistan’s WTO accession process. The document was signed by Deputy Prime Minister Jamshid Khojaev and US Trade Representative Katherine Tai. Earlier this year, Uzbekistan formally concluded bilateral negotiations on WTO accession with the United Kingdom in June and with Switzerland in July.