Azernews.Az

By Sara Israfilbayova

Next round of negotiations ongoing in Geneva, Switzerland, is expected to help Azerbaijan to realize its long intention to access the World Trade Organization (WTO).

The Azerbaijani delegation headed by Deputy Foreign Minister Mahmud Mammadguliyev is participating in talks with the WTO Working Group, which have started on July 24 and will last until July 28.

“Discussed WTO accession with Azerbaijan’s Deputy Foreign Minister Mahmud Mammad-Guliyev and expressed ITC support to speed up process,” Executive Director of the International Trade Center (ITC) Arancha González wrote on her Twitter account.

ITC is the only development agency that is fully dedicated to supporting the internationalization of SMEs.

In early July, Azerbaijan Export and Investment Promotion Foundation (AZPROMO) and the ITC have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to boost the private sector development in the country.

Under the memorandum, the ITC will contribute to increasing of competitiveness and expansion of access of products produced by small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in Azerbaijan to foreign markets. In addition, the Center will support the direct access of Azerbaijani products to international electronic commercial platforms.

The governmental delegation of Azerbaijan, along with the meeting with the WTO working group, also participates in multilateral talks for subsidizing agriculture and bilateral negotiations with a number of WTO member countries, in particular, with the U.S. and the European Union (EU).

Azerbaijan launched negotiations with the WTO member states in 2004 and currently, in talks with 13 countries to finalize its accession process. .

Azerbaijan has had an observer status at the WTO since 1997.

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