On December 11, the World Trade Organization held a conference in Geneva to review the WTO accession processes since the establishment of the Organization in 1995.
The participants of the event celebrated the 5th anniversary of Kazakhstan's accession to the WTO, which coincided with the 25th anniversary of the Organization. The conference also marked the anniversaries of WTO accessions for China, Croatia and Saudi Arabia.
The conference, which was held in video format due to coronavirus restrictions, was opened by WTO Deputy Director-General Alan Wolff. The WTO representative emphasized that one of the most important achievements of the Organization is the expansion of the WTO membership, noting that 36 countries have joined it in a quarter of a century, and another 23 countries are in the process of negotiations with the WTO members.
Deputy Director-General especially noted that the process of Kazakhstan's accession to the WTO has become one of the longest negotiation processes, which indicates a great attention to our country and strong commitments undertaken by Kazakhstan as a member of the WTO.
According to him, accession to the WTO is a catalyst for structural reforms in many sectors of the economy of the acceding countries, contributing to their global and regional economic integration, sustainable development and economic growth.
Minister of Trade and Integration of the Republic of Kazakhstan BakhytSultanov delivered a welcoming video address to the conference participants. Trade Minister of Kazakhstan congratulated the WTO on its 25th anniversary and Croatia, China and Saudi Arabia on their memorable dates.
He noted that Kazakhstan is deeply integrated into the global trade and economic system, and more than 90% of Kazakhstan's trade falls on the WTO Members.
Minister Sultanov stressed that Kazakhstan firmly supports the multilateral trading system and since the first days actively participates in the activities of the WTO, as well as in the current global trade negotiations within this international organization.
The Permanent Representative of Kazakhstan to the UN Office and other International Organizations in Geneva ZhanarAitzhanova shared the experience of our country's accession to the WTO and highlighted the work carried out by the Government of Kazakhstan in order to bring national legislation in full compliance with the WTO requirements. The Chief Negotiator of Kazakhstan stressed that all these steps were taken to improve the business and investment climate in the country, diversify the national economy and increase the competitiveness of domestic entrepreneurs.
The process of Kazakhstan's accession to the WTO took 19 years. According to WTO experts, the length and complexity of the negotiation process were related to the fact that Kazakhstan as part of the Customs Union, and then the Eurasian Economic Union had to agree on its WTO commitments with its partners within the Eurasian Economic Union.
The event was also attended by the Vice Minister of Commerce of China Wang Shouwen, as well as Permanent representatives to the WTO of Croatia, China and Saudi Arabia.
