Uzbekistan’s planned accession to the World Trade Organization (WTO) may be delayed beyond March 2026 due to slower progress in the review of the country’s documents by several WTO member states. This was stated by Azizbek Urunov, the presidential envoy for WTO affairs and Uzbekistan’s chief negotiator, during a conversation with reporters.
As to Urunov, some WTO member countries have not yet completed the examination of Uzbekistan’s submitted materials, which may affect the previously anticipated timeline for accession.
“When we discussed these concerns in December, we noted that some countries were taking longer to review our documents. It would not be appropriate to name them at this stage, but we are currently engaging with them and working to facilitate a quicker review and reach mutually acceptable agreements,” Urunov says.
Urunov noted that if the decision depended solely on Uzbekistan, the country would be ready to join the WTO as early as March. However, he emphasized that accession requires approval from existing WTO members and therefore cannot be determined unilaterally. Membership in the organization can only be granted after WTO members collectively agree to admit the applicant country.
Responding to questions about whether Uzbekistan could accelerate the process by fully adopting WTO rules without exceptions, Urunov stated that acceptance of WTO norms is already a mandatory condition for accession. He explained that joining the organization requires compliance with the full set of WTO agreements and rules. At the same time, he noted that certain exceptions exist within the WTO framework, reflecting the organization’s structure, which includes developed countries, developing countries, and least developed countries, each operating under defined conditions.
Uzbekistan had previously planned to complete its accession process before the 14th WTO Ministerial Conference scheduled for March 2026. In December, Urunov cautioned that the process could face what he described as “unintentional slowdowns,” noting that some WTO members had submitted additional questions that required detailed responses from Uzbek authorities.
As part of its preparation for accession, Uzbekistan has adopted around 30 legal acts and prepared nearly 30 additional regulatory documents to align national legislation with WTO standards. Bilateral negotiations have been conducted with 33 of the 34 WTO members involved in the process, with negotiations with Taiwan remaining outstanding.
The accession process involves multiple stages, including legislative adjustments, bilateral negotiations with member states, and final approval by the WTO membership before a candidate country can formally join the organization.
