. /.WORLD TRADE
ORGANIZATIONWT/MIN(01)/ST/145
12 November 2001
(01-5748)
MINISTERIAL CONFERENCE
Fourth Session
Doha, 9 - 13 November 2001Original:  English
KAZAKHSTAN
Statement by H.E. Mr Zhaksybek Kulekeyev
Minister of Economy and Trade
(Speaking as an Observer)
First of all, let me express our gratitude to the Government of Qatar and the friendly people of
Qatar for the warm reception to all conference participants in the hospitable land of Qatar.
This year Kazakhstan celebrates its tenth anniversary of state independence.  It is a short
period during which we have been developing an open market economy.
We cannot envisage such reforms without integration into the multilateral trading system,
based on the principles and rules of the World Trade Organization.
Kazakhstan considers accession to the World Trade Organization as a priority task of its
external economic policy.
Kazakhstan began the process of accession in 1996. During this period we completed
preparatory tasks which are essential  for eventual accession:  we submitted for consideration for
Working Party members the Memorandum on Foreign Trade Regime;  and we undertook significant
work to bring the legislation of the country into co nformity with the rules and principles of the WTO.
We have had four Working Party meetings and rounds of bilateral negotiations with our main
trading partners so far.
The last meeting of the Working Party on the accession of Kazakhstan to the WTO was held
in July.  At this meeting significant progress in the area of legislative reform by Kazakhstan was
noted.  Between the last two Working Party meetings 14 priority and significant laws in the area offoreign trade were adopted, including: the Customs Code, the Patent Law, the Law on
Standardization, the Law on Certification, the La w on Anti-Dumping, the Law on Unfair Competition
and others.  By the end of this year the following  laws are planned to be adopted;  on Commercial
Secrets, on Integrated Circuits Rights Protection and some others.  The adoption of these laws will
address the remaining discrepancies in the legislative base of Kazakhstan with regard to WTOrequirements.
One of the most important results of the last meeting of the Working Party was the
recognition on the part of members of the Working Party of the necessity of intensifying bilateral
negotiations on the conditions of  market access of goods  and services to Kazakhstan.
The Government of Kazakhstan hopes that WTO Members would take into account the
evolving economic situation in Kazakhstan, associated with comprehensive reforms and structuralWT/MIN(01)/ST/145
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adjustment, while negotiating import tariff concessions in agriculture and industry, domestic support
in agriculture as well as market access in services.
Kazakhstan is ready to become a fully-fle dged Member of the WTO, assuming the
observance of the balance of interests, costs and benefits of WTO membership.  The prospects fordevelopment of the Kazakhstan economy in many respects depend on overcoming crisis situations in
certain industries, structural reorganization and completion of reforms.  Therefore for Kazakhstan it is
extremely important that WTO Members refrain from requesting from Kazakhstan overly rigid and
excessive commitments, as compared to the obligations of existing WTO Members, so that
Kazakhstan can provide necessary levels of tariff protection for sensitive sectors and develop the
infant-industry sectors of its economy.
It is also very important for the economy of Kazakhstan to receive the right to appropriate
transitional periods for tariff reduction on industrial and agricultural products;  for the reduction of
support measures in respect of agricultural production and export;  and during the implementation of
TRIMs and TRIPS provisions.
Agriculture in Kazakhstan is in a critical situation.  There are severe climatic conditions; there
is an absence of direct access to major seaports;  there is a necessity to develop rural areas where more
than half of the country's population lives.  All of th ese make it vitally important to preserve in future
internal measures of support for agricultural goods producers at appropriate levels, comparable to the
level of many WTO Member countries.
The process of accession and eventually participation in the WTO as a fully-fledged Member
require professionally trained national experts.  In this regard Kazakhstan is grateful to the relevant
WTO Members and the Secretariat, as well as to other relevant international organizations for
providing technical assistance in the course of accession to the WTO.  Such assistance has included :
• Training of national experts, organization of seminars and workshops on the
multilateral trading system, including dispute settlement, anti-dumping measures,
subsidies and countervailing measures, intellectual property rights protection, rules of
origin, etc;
• active participation of Kazakhstani officials in the WTO Special Trade Policy Course.
We hope very much that such assistance will be  continued  and intensified in the future.
We intend in addition to actively use technical assistance provided by other relevant
international organizations.
In view of the new multilateral trade negotiations, Kazakhstan would like to thank WTO
Members for opening them for acceding countries.  The Government of the Republic of Kazakhstan
will make every effort to participate  in these negotiations.  We are of the view that Kazakhstan should
be able to become a WTO Member during these negotiations.
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