WORLD TRADE WT/MIN(98)/ST/42
18May1998
ORGANIZATION(98-2021)
Original: English MINISTERIAL CONFERENCE
Second Session
Geneva, 18and20May1998
KAZAKSTAN
Statement Circulated byMr.Kasymzhomart K.Tokayev,
Minister ofForeign Affairs
(AsAnObserver)
TheRepublic ofKazakstan isacceding totheWorld Trade Organization (WTO) inaccordance
withtheofficial application ofitsGovernment submitted early1996andonthebasisoftheMemorandum
ontheForeign Trade Regime ofKazakstan, aswellasitsobserver status intheWTO.
Theresults oftwomeetings ofTheWorking Party onKazakstan ’sAccession, heldsofar,as
wellastheactivities oftheWTO bodies, including thefirstMinisterial Conference atSingapore in
December1996andmeetingsoftheGeneralCouncil,andworkdonewithintheKazakstan’sInter-Agency
Commission ontheWTO haveshown thenecessity foracontinuation ofwork ontheadaptation of
Kazakstan ’strade-related legislation tothemultilateral rulesanddisciplines, andforanintensification
ofnegotiations withtheWTO Members.
IntheprocessofaccessiontotheWTO,theRepublicofKazakstan,whileadoptingandobserving
WTO rules anddisciplines, willnevertheless pursue anddefend itsnational interests.
Atthepresent, theAgency forStrategic Planning andReforms ofKazakstan hascoordinated
andapproved thePlan ofAction forWTO Accession (inaccordance with theGovernment ’s
Decree No.211dated 19February 1996), andalsoformed anewcomposition oftheInter-Agency
Commission ontheWTO resulting from thereorganization oftheGovernment.
TheGovernment ofKazakstan fully understands thattheWTO accession involves: first,
conformity withtheWTO requirements andtherefore itisintheprocess ofadapting itslegislation
asappropriate; andsecond, bilateral negotiations withWTO Members onmarket access ingoods and
services which should beareasonable compromise between national interests andconcerns ofKazakstan
andrequests oftherespective WTO Members. Inthiscontext, wehopethatsuchrequests would not
beexcessive.
Theprocess ofaccession andeventually participation intheWTO asitsfullyfledged member
require professionally trained national experts. Inthiscontext, theMinistry ofForeign Affairs of
Kazakstan jointly withtheMinistry ofEnergy, Industry andTrade haveaccepted theproposal ofthe
WTO secretariat ontheprovision oftechnical assistance inthecourse ofWTO accession covering
thefollowing issues:
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- Training ofnational experts, organization ofseminars andworkshops onthemultilateral
trading system, including dispute settlement, anti-dumping measures, subsidies and
countervailing measures, intellectual property rights protection, rules oforigin, etc;
- active participation ofKazakstan ’sofficials intheWTO Special Trade Policy Course.
Wealsointend toactively usetechnical assistance provided byother relevant international
organizations.
Wewould liketoexpress ourdeep gratitude tothose WTO Members andinternational
organizations which areproviding valuable technical assistance inouraccession totheWTO.
Bearing inmind theresults ofbilateral negotiations andoutcome ofthesecond meeting ofthe
WTO Working Party onKazakstan ’sAccession, aswellastaking intoaccount thechanges inthenational
legislation andKazakstan ’soffers onmarket access ingoods andservices, theGovernment ofKazakstan
aimsatintensifying multilateral andbilateral negotiations, including:
- With theEuropean Union andtheUnited States ontariffs andservices;
- withtheCzech Republic, Slovakia, Pakistan, Cuba, Canada andAustralia ontariffs.
Taking intoaccount thenegative influence ofSection 402,TitleIVoftheUnited States Trade
Actof1974, aliasthe"Jackson-Vanik Amendment", ontheKazakstan ’saccession totheWTO, the
Government ofKazakstan deems extremely important thattheUnited States grants ourcountry an
unconditional most-favoured-nation treatment, inother words Kazakstan should begraduated from
thisprovision oftheUnited States trade law.Another important problem, which isdirectly linked
withKazakstan ’saccession totheWTO, isadecision bytherelevant WTO Members toconsider
Kazakstan asa"market-economy country".
TheGovernment oftheRepublic ofKazakstan initsaccession totheWTO willthuspayspecial
importance tothefollowing considerations:
- AllWTO Members should takeintoaccount thecomplexity ofeconomic situation in
Kazakstan linked withcomprehensive reforms andstructural adjustment.
- WehopethattheWTO Members would refrain fromrequesting theacceding countries,
including Kazakstan, toorigidandoverly excessive commitments, ascompared tothe
obligations oftheexisting WTO membership.
- Negotiating partners ofKazakstan should dulytakeintoaccount thedifficult situation
inKazakstan, particularly when negotiating import tariff concessions inagriculture
andindustry, aswellasmarket access inservices, bearing inmindthenascent services
sectors inourcountry.
- Intheaccession negotiations, itisimperative notto"politicize" theissues under
discussion.
- There isalsoanurgent needtostimulate theaccession process bydifferent forms of
assistance.
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