BAKU, Azerbaijan, July 28. Turkmenistan and the
World Trade Organization discussed the next steps in the country's
WTO accession process during talks in Geneva.
This was reflected in a press release published by the
Turkmenistan's Permanent Mission to the United Nations Office in
Geneva.
The Turkmen delegation met with WTO Deputy Director-General
Zhang Xiangchen. Director of the WTO Accessions Division Maika
Oshikawa also took part in the meeting.
According to the press service, the parties reviewed the current
state of cooperation and prospects for further engagement within
Turkmenistan's accession process.
"Particular attention was paid to the preparation of the
Memorandum on Turkmenistan's Foreign Trade Regime, including other
organizational work," the ministry said.
The sides also confirmed their mutual interest in continuing
cooperation on the country's accession to the multilateral trading
system.
For reference, the World Trade Organization (WTO) provides a
common legal framework for international trade, based on principles
such as non-discrimination, transparency, predictable tariff
commitments and a rules-based dispute settlement system. Membership
also involves commitments on market access, trade-related
investment measures and the gradual alignment of national trade
regulations with multilateral agreements.
Turkmenistan has been advancing its accession process since
obtaining WTO observer status in 2020 and becoming an acceding
country in 2022, when a dedicated Working Party was established.
The current stage focuses on preparing the Memorandum on the
Foreign Trade Regime, one of the core documents required for
accession negotiations, alongside broader legislative and
institutional work aimed at aligning the country's trade framework
with WTO rules.
