National industrial and trade policy issues in connection with the prospect of Turkmenistan's accession to the World Trade Organization (WTO) were discussed during a seminar held at the OSCE Centre in Ashgabat on February 26-27.

The event was organized by the Ministry of Finance and Economy of Turkmenistan in cooperation with the OSCE Centre. The seminar brought together representatives of government agencies to discuss state support for industry and trade in the context of accession to the WTO.

The meeting considered the main principles of state support for industry and trade within the framework of WTO rules. As Deputy Director General of the WTO Expertise Centre in Russia Anait Smbatyan emphasized, compliance with international standards is an important condition for integrating the national economy into world trade.

"Trade is not an end in itself, but a tool for economic growth and improving people's well-being," the expert noted. "The conditions for accession to the WTO should provide opportunities for the further development of the national economy, including new areas of growth." The main topics of the seminar included subsidies for industry and agriculture as an important instrument of state support for the economy. Participants discussed the role of subsidies in the context of WTO rules and how to properly use this mechanism to protect domestic producers from international competition, which is especially important for developing countries. The seminar reviewed existing forms of subsidies and WTO rules.

The seminar became an important platform for exchanging experiences and discussing current issues of integrating national economies into the global trading system, taking into account the principles of sustainable development and international standards.

Participants noted that such events contribute to a better understanding of WTO rules and their impact on the country's economic development in the process of joining the organization, Orient reports.