RESTRICTED  
  
JOB/ACC/COM/17  
 
6 October 2023  
(23-6731) Page: 1/3 
Working Party on the Accession of  
the Union of the Comoros  Original:  French  
 
  
ACCESSION OF THE UNION OF THE COMOROS  
STATEMENT BY H.E. MR AHMED ALI BAZI, MINISTER OF ECONOMIC AFFAIRS, INDUSTRY AND 
INVESTMENT, RESPONSIBLE FOR ECONOMIC INTEGRATION AND CHIEF NEGOTIATOR  
Ninth meeting of the Working Party on the Accession of the Union of the Comoros  
Geneva, 5 October 2023  
1. In my capacity as Minister for Economic Affairs and Trade, allow me to take the floor to thank 
you most warmly for your presence here today and for your invaluable and constant support in the 
WTO accession process of my country, the Comoros.  
2. I am confident that, once again, the dialogue that we will engage in will be fruitful and will 
allow us to make even more meaningful progress towards accession.  
3. As at our previous meetings, my remarks will a ddress the progress made by the Comoros 
since the last meeting of the Working Party, held on 19 January 2023.  
4. I would first like to point out that all the questions posed by the delegations have received the 
precise and complete answers expected.   
5. Further more, the legislative action plan and the rules -specific action plans have been updated.  
6. If necessary, my delegation stands ready, as ever, to provide, to the extent possible, any 
additional clarifications as requested.  
7. Moreover, in accordance with the c ommitments undertaken, the Union of the Comoros has 
signed and adopted a number of administrative and legislative acts relating to the reforms 
recommended to ensure consistency with WTO rules, specifically:  
1. the Decree on the new statutes for the National Office for the Importation and Marketing 
of Rice (ONICOR);  
2. the Decree promulgating the Law on Preventing and Combating Corruption;  
3. the revised Law on Copyright and Related Rights;  
4. the orders implementing the foreign trade laws;  
5. amendments to the 2015 Customs Code;  
8. The related draft law will be submitted to Parliament for consideration and adoption at its 
session in October 2023.  
9. Other awaited texts are at an advanced drafting stage or are being finalized, including:  
1. the Order abolishing the Chamber of Commerce fee levied at Customs, which has just 
been signed;  
2. a Customs Code explanatory statement with a view to its submission to the National 
Assembly;  
3. the draft decision on the application of Decision 4.1 on Customs Valuation.  JOB/ACC/COM/17  
 
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  10. As the Governmen t can count on a substantial and reliable majority in Parliament, we are 
confident that all the draft laws submitted by the Government will be passed.  Thus, the established 
legislative timetable, in accordance with the commitments made, will be respected.  
11. The Union of the Comoros has signed bilateral agreements with the United States of America, 
the European Union, Japan, the Sultanate of Oman, Canada, Brazil and India. The negotiated 
agreements have been consolidated and the Schedules circulated to all Me mbers of the WTO.  
12. The technical, administrative and legislative work carried out by the Union of the Comoros 
since the last meeting of the Working Party reflects its willingness to pursue its efforts in order to 
be ready for the Ministerial Conference in Abu Dhabi in 2024, by fulfilling all of its commitments.   
13. On that memorable occasion, the Union of the Comoros hopes to see its efforts recognized 
and encouraged. The country is always ready to take further action to overcome the last obstacles 
that have been identified, with the support of its highest authorities, starting with that of the 
President of the Union, H.E. Azali Assoumani, current Chairperson of the African Union (AU), who 
has wished to inform the Director -General of the WTO, personally and on  several occasions, of his 
unwavering commitment to the Comoros accession to the WTO, within the expected time frame.  
14. And our President is greatly reassured to know that Dr. Ngozi Okonjo -Iweala, the Director -
General, is equally determined, and that she ca n count on reliable teams and a wealth of expertise, 
particularly in the Accessions Division, whose availability and remarkable efficiency in all respects 
we wish to commend here.   
15. On several occasions, our Mission has also been able to rely on the technic al assistance of the 
United States Mission in Geneva, to ensure the correct treatment of certain, relatively complex 
issues. I take this opportunity to thank them.  
16. The constructive attitude of the European Union to overcome certain obstacles that might 
jeopardize progress on issues is also to be commended.  
17. With regard to technical matters, as well as logistical matters, the International Trade Centre 
has been a leading partner.  
18. For travel to Geneva, our Government has long counted on the assistance of the People's 
Republic of China, as well as, primarily, that of the Sultanate of Oman. This is an eloquent and 
constructive expression of international solidarity.  
19. We also wish to a cknowledge the political and diplomatic support of some States, such as 
Oman, Morocco, the United Arab Emirates, and of our institutional partners, including the AU, the 
League of Arab States and the LDC Group.  
20. Switzerland, through the Canton of Geneva, h as provided invaluable support to our Permanent 
Mission in Geneva since it opened.  
21. I would also like to extend special thanks to the Permanent Mission of Switzerland in Geneva 
for its availability and for the trust and understanding that it has built with  our Mission.  
22. I could not close my remarks without making particular reference to the Chair of the Working 
Party, H.E. Ambassador Omar ZNIBER, Permanent Representative of the Kingdom of Morocco to the 
United Nations and other international organizations i n Geneva, for his availability, generosity (in 
every sense of the word) and his constant and effective engagement alongside the Comorian 
authorities, who are very grateful to him.  
23. It is thanks to all of this good will that, together, we have reached the cu rrent phase of the 
negotiations and th at we hope to continue moving forward.  
24. This ninth meeting of the Working Party is an important stage in achieving  our ultimate 
objective that lies very much within our reach. I would hope that the meeting  will allow us  to make 
meaningful progress on any issues that remain pending. Thank you in advance for your invaluable 
support.  JOB/ACC/COM/17  
 
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  25. Long live multilateral cooperation and international solidarity.  
Thank you for your encouraging attention.  
 
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