Azernews.Az

By Sabina Idayatova

Azerbaijan should not cooperate with Armenia in case of joining the World Trade Organization, chief negotiator for WTO accession, Deputy Foreign Minister Mahmud Mammadguliyev told reporters on Wednesday, Trend news agency reports.

"The WTO charter contains a clause in accordance with which considering political security issues, certain countries do not cooperate with each other," he said.

According to Mammadguliyev, while joining the WTO Armenia pledged in writing that it would not oppose Azerbaijan's accession to the organization.

"As a member of the WTO, Armenia participates at the working group sessions on the admission of Azerbaijan, but it does not ask any questions or make suggestions, because it knows that it will not get an answer," Mammadguliyev said.

Azerbaijan and Armenia have been locked in bitter conflict, which emerged in 1988 over Armenian territorial claims, for over two decades. 20 percent of Azerbaijan's territory has been under Armenian occupation since the two South Caucasus republics signed a precarious cease-fire in 1994 following a lengthy war. OSCE-brokered negotiations have been largely fruitless so far.

Azerbaijan rejects any type of cooperation with Armenia, whose hostile policy in the region sidelines the country from all projects in the South Caucasus region and leads it to an economic crisis and heavy debt.

Azerbaijan started talks on its accession to WTO in 2004. Azerbaijan is now in the process of bilateral negotiations with the U.S., Japan, Brazil, Ecuador, Sri Lanka, Norway, India, South Korea, Taiwan Province of China, Canada, Switzerland and Honduras, as well as the European Union.

Mammadguliyev said earlier that the Azerbaijani delegation took part in the 10th round of bilateral and multilateral negotiations in Geneva last week. Discussions covered the updated proposals of Azerbaijan on goods and services, issues of domestic support to agriculture and to the trading system of the country.

"Bilateral meetings were held with the U.S., Brazil, Japan, Canada, Norway and the European Union. As usual, the parties asked Azerbaijan to reconsider proposals to provide more concessions. Basically, it was a useful exchange of information and data," Mammadguliyev said.

Negotiations have been completed and relevant protocols signed with Turkey, Oman, the United Arab Emirates, Georgia and Kyrgyzstan. The country is currently at the stage of signing such a protocol with Moldova, which is still considering the document.

The working group on Azerbaijan at the WTO secretariat was established in July 1997. Since 1997, Azerbaijan has been represented at the WTO as an observer state. Bilateral negotiations on market access are underway on the basis of revised offers on goods and services. Multilateral work is proceeding on the basis of Factual Summary of Points Raised since December 2008. The Factual Summary was last revised in November 2011.