Uzbekistan finalizes WTO accession protocol with Russia

As part of Uzbekistan’s WTO accession process, a protocol finalizing bilateral negotiations with Russia was signed on December 21, 2025, during President Shavkat Mirziyoyev’s working visit to St. Petersburg. The document was signed jointly with Russia’s Minister of Economic Development, Maxim Reshetnikov, Urunov said.

He emphasized that the negotiations were “continuous, yet substantive and constructive,” and highlighted their positive outcome. Urunov also singled out Russia’s active engagement in Uzbekistan’s WTO accession process.

According to the president’s special representative, while some work remains unfinished, Uzbekistan will now focus on advancing multilateral negotiations, completing updates to align national legislation with WTO requirements, and successfully concluding the accession process next year.

During WTO accession, candidate countries typically finalize bilateral agreements with member states on market access for goods and services in stages. Discussions within the WTO Working Party on Uzbekistan’s accession have also intensified in recent years. In June 2025, the WTO noted that Uzbekistan had reaffirmed its goal of completing accession by the organization’s 14th Ministerial Conference.

In addition, at the Working Party meeting held on November 5–6, 2025, Uzbekistan stated its readiness to finalize accession negotiations, with “steady progress” recorded in the process.