Government steps up legal reforms to finalize WTO accession

Summing up 2025, Azizbek Urunov, the Special Representative of the President on WTO Affairs, described the past year as “decisive and results-oriented” in the context of Uzbekistan’s accession process.

In 2025, Uzbekistan completed bilateral market access negotiations with 33 of the 34 WTO members, conducted more than 40 rounds of bilateral talks, and held numerous working party meetings that examined more than 200 issues.

In addition, agreements were reached with key trading partners, including the European Union, China, Russia, the United Kingdom, Switzerland, Canada, Australia, and others.

“Only one round of bilateral negotiations remains unfinished,” he added, referring to Taiwan.

Over the past year, Uzbekistan adopted 30 WTO-related legal acts – four laws, eight presidential decrees and resolutions, 12 Cabinet of Ministers resolutions, and six departmental regulatory acts.

Work is also underway on 29 additional draft legal acts. These include “comprehensive reforms” in customs regulation, export duties, trade defense measures, intellectual property protection, technical regulation, as well as sanitary and phytosanitary measures and technical barriers to trade.

According to Urunov, Uzbekistan has made “significant progress” on schedules for goods and services and has moved into the consolidation stage.

The parties have begun final discussions on export duties, freedom of transit, and trade facilitation in line with WTO rules. Uzbekistan is also actively participating in sectoral WTO agreements.

Plans for 2026 include completing the remaining bilateral and multilateral negotiations, preparing the working party report, finalizing legislative alignment, and taking “decisive steps” to conclude the WTO accession process.