A scientific and practical conference held at the Institute of International Relations of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Turkmenistan was devoted to the prospects for cooperation between Turkmenistan and the World Trade Organization, Orient reports.

 Speakers at the conference spoke about the prospects for cooperation between Turkmenistan and the WTO.  They also discussed the preparation of the first document related to membership in the World Trade Organization - the Memorandum on the foreign trade regime of Turkmenistan.

 This memorandum is a mandatory and basic document for all countries acceding to the WTO.  During its development, bilateral and multilateral dialogues are held on issues related to membership.

 At the Ministry of Finance and Economy of Turkmenistan, with the participation of representatives of the Mejlis, relevant ministries and departmental departments, meetings were held with experts from the World Trade Organization and the Asian Development Bank in accordance with the “Road Map” for the development of the said Memorandum.  A series of such negotiations lasted from July 2023 to April 2024.  During business meetings, WTO experts introduced the rules and regulations of all Agreements of the Organization.

 In preparing the Memorandum, technical assistance from the International Trade Center (ITC), the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), the Asian Development Bank (ADB) and other international organizations and financial institutions is effectively used.

 Also, the Ministry of Finance of Turkmenistan, as part of activities related to WTO membership, is consistently working to bring the national legislative framework into line with the rules and principles of the WTO.

 In particular, together with international organizations, an analysis of a number of legislative acts in the field of financial, economic, monetary, customs, trade and other relevant areas is being carried out, based on the results of which it is planned to begin processes with the Mejlis of Turkmenistan related to introducing changes and additions to the legislation.

 During the conference, participants spoke in detail about proposals in a number of areas regarding further interaction regarding the expansion of cooperation with the WTO Secretariat, taking into account that in July 2020 Turkmenistan acquired observer status in the WTO, and in February 2022 the country applied for accession as  a full member of the WTO, as a result of which a decision was made to grant Turkmenistan the status of an acceding country (“active observer”).