Samad Bashirli, Deputy Minister of Economy and newly appointed WTO Chief Negotiator, led Azerbaijan's high-level delegation to Geneva for the Working Party meeting. This meeting occurred 14 months after the previous one in July 2023, which marked the resumption of accession negotiations following a six-year gap. The delegation included Azerbaijan's Ambassador to the WTO, Galib Israfilov, senior government officials, and experts from various ministries and agencies.
Deputy Minister Bashirli emphasized the reforms undertaken by the government to align its trade regime and national legislation with international best practices and WTO requirements. “We think that these steps will lead to the achievement of important successes in the direction of ensuring a stable economy, accelerating the integration of Azerbaijan into the global economy, fulfilling international obligations, as well as without doubt also to the successful implementation of the WTO accession agenda,” he said.
He mentioned that WTO Director-General Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala met on June 6 with President Ilham Aliyev of Azerbaijan and Minister of Economy Mikayil Jabbarov in Baku to discuss the country’s accession process and COP29, which will be held later this year in Azerbaijan.
Highlighting Azerbaijan's efforts to diversify its economy, Deputy Minister Bashirli outlined key goals from “Azerbaijan 2030: National Priorities for Socio-Economic Development.” These include building a competitive economy, fostering social justice, promoting innovation, and advancing environmental sustainability through “green growth.”
He noted that Azerbaijan had recently concluded bilateral negotiations with Japan by signing a protocol in March and finalized talks with Thailand with preparations underway for an official signing. The visit also included productive exchanges aimed at accelerating its WTO accession process at the bilateral level.
WTO Deputy Director-General Zhang Xiancheng highlighted progress since resuming Working Party meetings in July 2023 after a six-year hiatus. He welcomed market access agreements signed by Azerbaijan with WTO members. He emphasized that Azerbaijan stands to gain significantly from legal and institutional reforms tied to WTO membership due to its strategic position as a transit hub between Europe and Asia.
“Azerbaijan’s reforms, combined with WTO membership, will help drive essential legal and institutional changes, enabling the country to strengthen its role both regionally and globally. We are optimistic about the next steps,” he added.
The chair of the Working Party, Ambassador Alparslan Acarsoy of Türkiye said: “The progress registered since the resumption of the process and the appointment of a Chief Negotiator are sending a clear signal that Azerbaijan is keen to advance its negotiations with renewed focus and determination. That said, Working Party members will no doubt be looking for further substantive indications that this accession process — which is now in its 27th year — has a clear sense of direction and can be concluded.”
Members acknowledged Azerbaijan's efforts and urged continued work ahead of the next Working Party meeting.
The Working Party met informally on September 27 for technical discussions on Azerbaijan's agriculture domestic support.
Azerbaijan's accession process began in 1997 with the first Working Party meeting held in 2002.
Next steps include maintaining focus on bilateral market access negotiations while setting clear targets. Members were invited to submit comments by October 25. In addition to providing replies, Azerbaijan was asked to keep updates on legislative developments for future meetings.
The Chair expressed interest in holding another meeting in early 2025 after all required inputs are submitted.