WTO membership delayed. Uzbekistan intends to complete the process in 2027
Bilateral negotiations regarding Uzbekistan's membership in the World Trade Organization are almost completed, while work on aligning domestic legislation and agreeing on future commitments is ongoing. This was announced at a press conference in Tashkent with the participation of the chairman of the WTO working group, Seong-Deok Choi. State participation in the economy and agricultural subsidies remain among the most complex issues.
WTO accession delayed. Uzbekistan aims to complete process in 2027
Uzbekistan aims to complete negotiations on joining the World Trade Organization in 2026 and pave the way for membership in 2027. This was announced at a press conference held in Tashkent by Sung-Ye Choi, Chairman of the Working Party on Uzbekistan's accession to the WTO and South Korea's Ambassador to the WTO.
"Uzbekistan has set a goal to complete negotiations this year and pave the way to become a member in 2027," he said.
Earlier, the accession process was expected to be completed at the WTO Ministerial Conference in March 2026. However, this deadline was not met. At the conference, Kun.uz asked a question regarding the reasons for the delay in the process, the remaining open issues, and what exactly the target set until the end of the year implies.
Why was the March plan not met?
As explained by Iskandarbek Genjayev, Chief Inspector of the Presidential Administration, additional questions and commitments raised by members, as well as reaching agreements on them while taking into account Uzbekistan's interests, require extra time.
In addition, at the beginning of 2026, several more countries expressed interest in entering into bilateral negotiations with Uzbekistan.
"In this process, the membership commitments to be accepted by Uzbekistan are being discussed, and the process of agreeing on these commitments itself takes time," Genjayev said.
According to him, the main focus is currently on multilateral negotiations. Once the open issues are agreed upon, the accession package will be considered by the WTO General Council, and Uzbekistan must also complete internal procedures, including ratification.
Thus, the goal of completing negotiations by the end of the year does not mean that full membership will enter into force at that exact time. The exact date of membership was not announced at the conference.
"Bilateral negotiations are nearly 99 percent complete"
Sung-Ye Choi stated that bilateral negotiations on tariffs and services are nearing completion.
"Bilateral negotiations on tariffs and services with World Trade Organization member countries are almost 99 percent complete. Only the final details remain to be resolved," the Chairman of the Working Party said.