United States to continue assisting Uzbekistan in the process of joining WTO

On December 5, Minister of Investment and Foreign Trade Jamshid Khodjayev held talks with US Ambassador Jonathan Henick. The parties discussed topical issues of bilateral cooperation in investment, trade-economic spheres, Kun.uz reports.

As the press service of the Ministry of Investments reported, during the conversation, an exchange of views took place on the effectiveness of platforms for jointly resolving issues of bilateral cooperation, in particular, the potential of the strategic partnership dialogue was noted, the first meeting within which was held in December 2021.

The commitment of the two countries to continue close cooperation on the regional agenda, including within the framework of the C5+1 initiative, which has become an effective and important tool for strengthening peace, stability and prosperity in Central Asia, was also emphasized.

Along with this, the meeting participants reviewed the current state of the process of Uzbekistan’s accession to the World Trade Organization (WTO), referring to the reduction of the state’s participation in the economy, the improvement of customs administration, issues of technical regulation and ensuring intellectual property rights. The American side expressed readiness to continue assisting Uzbekistan in the process of joining the organization.

The progress of the implementation of previously reached agreements within the framework of cooperation between Uzbekistan and the International Development Finance Corporation (DFC) in the field of energy, transport, education, healthcare, and the implementation of PPP projects with DFC funding was discussed. The parties agreed to consider the possibilities of expanding cooperation in this direction.

Among other topics discussed at the talks were the prospects for partnership in the textile sector. In this context, the prospects for granting a preferential trade regime for the export of Uzbek textile products to the US market were discussed. Following the conversation, mutual commitment was expressed to continue close cooperation in priority areas of the bilateral agenda.