Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.com) —  Last week, a roundtable discussion focused on Uzbekistan’s accession to the World Trade Organization (WTO) took place during the Annual Meetings of the World Bank Group in Washington.

High-ranking representatives from the government of Uzbekistan, the World Bank, the International Monetary Fund, as well as delegations from the United States, Kazakhstan, and other WTO member countries participated in the event.

Participants noted the progress Uzbekistan has made toward joining the WTO and emphasized the potential benefits of membership, such as the development of foreign trade, improvement of the business environment, attraction of additional investments, and stimulation of economic growth.

Uzbekistan has already conducted negotiations with several WTO member countries and aims to join the organization by 2026. As part of extensive reforms, the country is taking steps to liberalize its economy and align its legislation with WTO requirements.

The roundtable discussed existing challenges and opportunities related to Uzbekistan’s accession process to the WTO.

Participants analyzed how membership in the organization could impact the country’s future participation in global trade.

It was noted that, despite the significant amount of work ahead, Uzbekistan’s commitment to the goal of joining the WTO and broad international support, including technical assistance from the World Bank, make this goal achievable.