Azernews.Az

By Nigar Orujova

The next round of negotiations on Azerbaijan's accession to the World Trade Organisation (WTO) will be held in early June, Deputy Foreign Minister Mahmud Mammadguliyev told journalists on Friday.

Azerbaijan has been represented at the World Trade Organisation as an observer since 1997 and began negotiating in 2004.

Azerbaijan is holding bilateral negotiations with the United States, Japan, Brazil, Ecuador, Sri Lanka, Norway, India, South Korea, Taiwan Province of China, Canada, Switzerland, Honduras and the European Union.

Mammadguliyev said, in particular, negotiations on the issue of goods and services will be held with countries such as India, South Korea, Taiwan Province of China and others.

He also stressed that it is planned to hold bilateral negotiations with a group of countries, which are major exporters of agricultural products including Argentina, Brazil and Australia.

Issues of subsidizing the agricultural sector in Azerbaijan will be coordinated with them.

In April, Azerbaijan completed the negotiations on mutual obligations with the WTO member-states, according to the department head of the Azerbaijani State Customs Committee Mirgasim Vahabov.

"According to the WTO procedures, around 13 rounds of negotiations must be held to join this organization. Azerbaijan is at the ninth stage of the consultations. The intensive talks on mutual obligations are held within it," he said.

The procedural rules will be discussed with WTO member-states within the next (10th) phase. Azerbaijan held the bilateral talks with about 50 countries as part of joining the WTO and relevant documents were adopted.

Negotiations with Turkey, Oman, United Arab Emirates, Georgia and Kyrgyzstan have been completed and protocols were signed. The country is in the process of signing the protocol with Moldova and China.