BAKU, Azerbaijan, July 28. Turkmenistan and the World Trade Organization discussed the next steps in the country's WTO accession process during talks in Geneva.
This was reflected in a press release published by the Turkmenistan's Permanent Mission to the United Nations Office in Geneva.
The Turkmen delegation met with WTO Deputy Director-General Zhang Xiangchen. Director of the WTO Accessions Division Maika Oshikawa also took part in the meeting.
According to the press service, the parties reviewed the current state of cooperation and prospects for further engagement within Turkmenistan's accession process.
"Particular attention was paid to the preparation of the Memorandum on Turkmenistan's Foreign Trade Regime, including other organizational work," the ministry said.
The sides also confirmed their mutual interest in continuing cooperation on the country's accession to the multilateral trading system.
For reference, the World Trade Organization (WTO) provides a common legal framework for international trade, based on principles such as non-discrimination, transparency, predictable tariff commitments and a rules-based dispute settlement system. Membership also involves commitments on market access, trade-related investment measures and the gradual alignment of national trade regulations with multilateral agreements.
Turkmenistan has been advancing its accession process since obtaining WTO observer status in 2020 and becoming an acceding country in 2022, when a dedicated Working Party was established. The current stage focuses on preparing the Memorandum on the Foreign Trade Regime, one of the core documents required for accession negotiations, alongside broader legislative and institutional work aimed at aligning the country's trade framework with WTO rules.
