RESTRICTED  
  
JOB/ACC/46  
 
30 October 2014  
(14-6302)  Page: 1/2  
Working Party on the Accession of Kazakhstan   
 
 ACCESSION OF KAZAKHSTAN 
 
STATEMENT BY H.E. AMBASSADOR VESA HIMANEN, CHAIRPERSON OF THE WORKING PARTY ON 
THE ACCESSION OF KAZAKHSTAN1  
Informal Group on Accessions (IGA) Meeting  
29 October 2014, 9:00 am, Room E 
 
1. Good morning.  One month ago, I provided you with an update on the state-of-play on the 
Accession of Kazakhstan, during the September Cycle of Working Party Meetings.  This time, 
Chiedu has invited me back, specifically to provid e you with an updated status report; and, signal 
to you the Members, the plan going forward.  Th e support and understanding of Members here in 
the IGA matter for the Accession of Kazakhstan.   
2. Significant progress has been made on the outstanding substance on the Accession of 
Kazakhstan.  We still have a few issues to resolve.  My purpose here today is to underline that this 
Accession is at a critical juncture.  I am also here to advise you that over the next 4 to 5 weeks, we shall push hard to attempt a conclusion of our work this year.  As your Chairman, my firm 
purpose, with your support, is to take all nece ssary steps to work for the emergence of a Draft 
Accession Package on the Accession of Kazakhstan by next month.  In registering this point, 
I want to thank Members for making possible the emergence of the Draft Schedule of Specific 
Commitments on Trade in Services on the Accession  of Kazakhstan, during the September Cycle.  
It is to the credit of Members that one element of  the Draft Accession Package is on the Table.   
3. But we still have work to do.  In accessions, it is never done, until it is done.  But I am 
reasonably confident that if all parties play their role, we can conclude this accession this year.  
With the Acceding Government of Kazakhstan shouldering the principal responsibilities to decide 
on the terms and conditions of its accession, there are complementary and supportive roles and responsibilities to be played by the Customs Union Partners of Kazakhstan and WTO Members also.   
4. Many of you were present at the Informal Meeting of the Working Party on 26 September 
2014, when I indicated that the Accession of Kazakhstan was on track for conclusion this year.  As Chairman of the Working Party, I maintain this position, but only if we all play our roles.    This is why I'm in town this week to ensure all necessary preparations for this accession to cross 
the finish line by the end of this year.  In th is regard, let me make four specific points.   
5. First, I must repeat, as I have several times before, that there is strong political will at 
every level to conclude the accession of Kazakhstan by the end of this calendar year, at the 
Working Party level.  Let me confirm that this political will has been matched by substantive 
progress during the past few weeks.  I expect th at before the end of this week, updated technical 
inputs shall be circulated.  Director Accessions and his Team will be reporting and informing 
Working Party Members to this end before the end of  this week.  These inputs shall enable me to 
convene the next Cycle of the Working Party in No vember.  It is my plan to convene this Cycle 
within the next fortnight.     
6. Second , on the next Cycle of Working Party meetin gs, my plan is to convene it from 10 to 
12 November.  The Secretariat is in daily regular contacts with Astana on the substantive 
negotiating set of inputs for the next Cycle.  As soon as these are finalized, the Secretariat will 
                                               
1 This report has been prepared by the Chairper son of the Working Party on the Accession of the 
Kazakhstan.  It is circulated on his own responsibility as Chairman of th e Working Party and as a transparency 
report to all Members of the Working Party. JOB/ACC/46 
 
- 2 - 
 
  conclude processing of these inputs and circulate to Members of the Working Party.  This should be 
done this week.  The updated documents would in clude: the draft Working Party Report, the draft 
Chapters on Agriculture and SPS and associated documents.  On my part, as Chairman of the Working Party and as mandated by Signatory Memb ers, I shall be circulating a revision to my 
proposal as Chairman on Ordinary Customs Duties, reflecting areas of convergence reached among 
the Signatory Members, the Acceding Government  of Kazakhstan and the Russian Federation, 
since the September Cycle.  I have mandated Dire ctor Accessions to convene meetings of Working 
Party Members, in appropriate formats, at expert and technical level, to describe the 
documentation that will be circulated and identify substantive updates.  This should facilitate Members consultations with their capitals in re viewing the updated and circulated documentation 
and hence decision-making when I meet with Lead Negotiators.   
7. I will be sending out convening faxes for various meetings in the coming days.  As you will 
see in these faxes, I will propose, as in the September Cycle, these meetings will be issue-specific and will be held in different formats.  Let me also signal now that, at this next Cycle and 
henceforth, when necessary, I will schedule meetings into the early and late evenings.   
8. Third , I need to underscore my earlier message, prior to the September Cycle, that at this 
stage in the accession negotiations of Kazakhstan, the meeting process is rolling and non-stop 
until our work is done; and no longer from one Cycl e to another Cycle.  So, whatever the format of 
a meeting, they will not be adjourned but suspended.  And here I want to pay tribute to Chief Negotiator Minister Aitzhanova for detailing a segment of her Negotiating Team that has been 
resident in Geneva for upwards of 7 weeks.  I have confirmation that they shall remain until their 
work is done to finalise the package, with the support of Members.  The Working Party will meet as 
necessary, in different configuration, to ensure that a draft accession package will be ready for adoption ad referendum  before the end of this calendar year.  As Chairman, let me repeat that 
I have also mandated the Accessions Director to carry any consultations, on my behalf, necessary 
to meet the plan that I have set-out.    
9. Fourth , allow me a point on the role of Members.  There are no short-cuts in accession 
negotiations for Acceding Governments, like Kaza khstan.  They all have to make tough decisions 
before they can join.  In the final analysis, it is up to them.  All those who have negotiated their accession have benefited hugely as demonstrated in the Annual Reports of the Director-General.  Significant development gains have been demonstr ated by Members that have gone through the 
WTO accession process.  This said, however, it also needs to be said that Members must continue 
to demonstrate pragmatism, encourage and suppor t Acceding Governments in a tough no-sense 
process.  I leave you with this message and suggest that pragmatism and realism must be shown 
in the tariff adjustment exercise.  I shall be pragmatic and realistic in my next version of my 
proposal on Ordinary Customs Duties.  We must produce outcomes that we can explain as a rules-based Multilateral Trading System and the Organization must continue to demonstrate a 
capacity to deliver.   
10. In conclusion, I firmly believe that this accession is doable, if we all work together closely 
over the next 4 to 5 weeks.  This is why I have co me to Geneva to make a direct appeal to the IGA 
which plays a key role, in all accessions, to make the 2014 conclusion of the Accession of 
Kazakhstan a reality.  I count on your support.  And I am ready to respond to any questions you 
may have.  Thank you. 
 
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