President Shavkat Mirziyoyev held negotiations in Tashkent with President of Paraguay Santiago Pena, according to the press service of the president of Uzbekistan on December 11. Pena became the first Latin American leader in history to visit Uzbekistan in person.
The talks focused on strengthening practical cooperation between Uzbekistan and Paraguay in trade, the economy, culture, education, and other sectors. Both sides emphasized the importance of increasing bilateral trade volumes and expanding business contacts. Opportunities for joint projects in agriculture, food processing, the chemical industry, as well as cooperation in digitalization, tourism, and sports were discussed.
The parties signed a protocol finalizing bilateral negotiations on market access within Uzbekistan’s accession process to the World Trade Organization (WTO). President Mirziyoyev and Pena also signed a joint statement, and the foreign ministries of both countries concluded a memorandum establishing a mechanism for political consultations.
Uzbekistan has been actively advancing its WTO accession negotiations. In September, the country signed bilateral market access protocols with Argentina, Australia, and Honduras, bringing the total number of such agreements to 29. At that time, the president’s representative for WTO affairs, Azizbek Urunov, reported that “principled agreements” had been reached with two additional WTO members.
Uzbekistan completed its negotiations with the European Union in late October, followed soon after by the completion of talks with Panama. In early November, negotiations were finalized with Canada, Ecuador, and again with Panama. Urunov reported that Uzbekistan now needs to conclude agreements with two remaining WTO members—Russia and Taiwan—to complete its accession process. On November 24, Urunov stated that negotiations with Russia were nearing completion.
