GENEVA, Switzerland – World Trade Organization (WTO) director-general Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala met on 6 June with president Ilham Aliyev of Azerbaijan and minister of economy Mikayil Jabbarov in Baku to discuss the country’s accession process and the 29th United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP29) to be held later this year in Azerbaijan, and participated in the Conference on the Accession of Azerbaijan to the WTO at the Azerbaijan State University of Economics.
In the last leg of her visit to the region, following stops in Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan, she exchanged views with president Aliyev on the impact of WTO accession. They focused in particular on how the accession process can help Azerbaijan take advantage of its growth potential, especially in the areas of green energy, the digital economy and logistical infrastructure linking Europe and Asia.
Attended by the chairperson of the Working Party on the Accession of Azerbaijan, ambassador Alparslan Acarsoy of Türkiye, the meeting also discussed specific next steps of cooperation between the WTO and Azerbaijan in advancing the accession process.
At her meeting with the minister of economy Mikayil Jabbarov, the director-general and ambassador Acarsoy discussed the preparations for the next meeting of the Working Party.
Director-General Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala commended the hard work of the members of Azerbaijan’s technical team and encouraged them to build on the momentum created at the 15th meeting of the Working Party last July. That meeting relaunched the accession process after a six-year hiatus.
Director-General Okonjo-Iweala also delivered remarks at the Conference on the Accession of Azerbaijan to the WTO held at the Azerbaijan State University of Economics. The conference was opened by Rector Adalat Jalal Muradov, deputy ministry of economy Samad Bashirli. Ambassador Acarsoy delivered statements highlighting the opportunities of WTO accession for Azerbaijan.
“By joining the WTO, Azerbaijan will not only gain predictable access to new markets and opportunities but also contribute to shaping the global trading system,” the director-general noted that Azerbaijan’s strategic location at the crossroads of trade corridors provides the country with a unique advantage and strong potential for growth.
The full remarks are available here.
Azerbaijan is the host of COP29, which will take place in Baku in November this year. The director-general noted that trade is part of the solution to the challenges associated with climate change, welcomed Azerbaijan’s decision to include a Trade and Investment Day and a Trade House/Pavilion at COP29.
The WTO will collaborate with Azerbaijan’s ministry of economy on the content of the trade-related components of COP29, building on the work done at COP28 in Dubai.
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