Uzbekistan officially concludes WTO accession negotiations with the U.S.

It has now been officially announced that Uzbekistan has successfully concluded bilateral negotiations with the United States, marking a major milestone in its WTO accession process.

In a statement, U.S. Trade Representative Katherine Tai commended the achievements, saying, “The United States is pleased to announce the conclusion of bilateral market access negotiations on goods and services as part of Uzbekistan’s WTO membership efforts.”

The Biden-Harris Administration has recognized Uzbekistan’s unwavering commitment to achieving WTO membership, emphasizing its consistent progress in this area.

The statement highlighted that Uzbekistan’s serious engagement in negotiations, particularly over the past two years, has been a key factor in advancing its membership bid. “Uzbekistan's active and determined approach has been crucial in achieving successful bilateral negotiations,” the statement added.

Uzbekistan’s path to WTO membership has seen several starts and stops. After its application stalled in 2005, the process was formally revived in July 2020 with the fourth meeting of the WTO working group. Since then, additional meetings have been held in June 2022, March 2023, November 2023, and May 2024, bringing the total to eight working group sessions.

During the May 2024 meeting, Uzbekistan announced its target timeline for joining the organization. The country aims to complete the accession process by 2026, setting its sights on securing WTO membership ahead of the WTO Ministerial Conference, scheduled to take place in Cameroon that year.