WORLD TRADE  
ORGANIZATION  RESTRICTED 
WT/ACC/TJK/29 
15 October 2012 
 (12-5612) 
Working Party on the Accession  
of the Republic of Tajikistan Original:   English 
 
 
 
ACCESSION OF TAJIKISTAN 
 
Ninth Meeting of the Working Party on the Accession of the Republic of Tajikistan to the WTO 
 
Tuesday, 9 October 2012 
 
 
The statements that follow in this compilation were made at the Ninth Meeting of the 
Working Party on the Accession of the Republic of Tajikistan to the WTO, on Tuesday, 
9 October 2012.  These statements are reproduced in the order in which they were delivered: 
 
- Australia;  - Brazil; - Canada; - China; 
- European Union;  
- India;  - Japan; - Kyrgyz Republic;  - Pakistan;  
- Russian Federation;  
- Switzerland; - Chinese Taipei;  - Turkey; and - Unites States.  
 
_______________ 
 
  WT/ACC/TJK/29 
Page 2  
 
  Statement by the European Union 
 
First intervention  
 
Welcome to the Tajik's Republic Delegation headed by Minister Rahimzoda.  The EU is an 
active and strong supporter of Tajik istan's accession to the WTO and welcomes the very positive and 
significant developments in this process.  We shar e the Chairman's assessment that this accession is 
poised for completion and wish to thank him for his effo rts. We hope that he will  manage to bring this 
process to a swift close.  
 
The accession package in front of us since A ugust is substantial, forward-looking, and 
demonstrates Tajikistan's commitment to global trad e based on market forces, transparency, and rule 
of law.  We commend Tajikistan for its resolute commitment in passing reforms and modernising its institutional, administrative and legislative framewo rk, as mirrored in the draft Working Party Report. 
Revised documents recently circulated rein force even more those commitments.    
 
We hope that the Package is now agreeable ad referendum  for all WTO Members and will be 
pleased to welcome Tajikistan as a new Member of the Organization.  Tajikistan has made major efforts over the last months with a view to join th e WTO this year.  We believe that this goal is not 
only achievable but also desirable.  We feel that recognition has to be provided to the high-quality and 
hard work carried out by the Tajik authorities, w ith whom we have coopera ted very constructively. 
Furthermore, these last two years have been very active in terms of WTO accessions and the entry of 
a DC now is timely. 
 During this long accession process, EU has clo sely cooperated with Ta jikistan and provided 
technical support.  We look forward to continue  this constructive working relationship in the 
post-accession phase. 
_______________  
 
Statement by the Russian Federation 
Since this is the first time our Delegation par ticipates in a meeting of this Working Party, 
I would like to warmly welcome a representative Delegation of Tajikistan and to praise their 
incredible efforts, as well as efforts of other Member s of the Working Party and the Secretariat, which 
allowed to accelerate this accession process and bring it to the final stage. 
 Russia pays great attention to this accession, taking into account our strong economic ties 
with Tajikistan (I would remind that both our countries are members of the CIS and Eurasian 
Economic Community) as well as our traditionally friendl y relations with this country and its people. 
We are strongly interested that its soonest acce ssion to the WTO be a strong factor for ensuring 
dynamic and sustainable social and economic developmen t of Tajikistan. 
 Russia just finalized its own lengthy process of accession to the WTO and we know well how 
difficult and thorny it may be.  So, we have a great sympathy to our Tajik friends who managed to 
overcome these difficulties and are ready to contribu te with their accession to the transformation of 
the WTO into a truly universal organization.  We also hope that accession of Tajikistan will also pave 
the way for accession of other countries in our region. 
 We welcome the finalization of the components of the draft accession package of Tajikistan. 
We note however that these documents, which we ar e going to consider today, were not distributed 
within the due time-frame before this meeting of th e Working Party.  Our Delegation, therefore, was 
not able to consider them timely , and this work is still underway.  WT/ACC/TJK/29 
 Page 3 
 
 
   
With this in mind, we request you, distinguish ed Mr. Chairman that the Working Party should 
hold its informal and formal meetings with a view  to adopt the package in due terms of minimum 
weeks after the circulation of the documents.  The reasoning for this request is to allow 
our Delegation to have a fair time-frame for examining the package.  
_______________ 
 
Statement by Pakistan 
Pakistan welcomes the Delegation of Tajikista n led by Minister Rahimzoda.  This is an 
auspicious and important day for Tajikistan's acc ession as the Accession Pack age has been laid for 
approval ad referendum .  Indeed, the Tajik Delegation h as gone through the arduous process of 
accession. 
 Concerning Tajikistan's economic performance,  the IMF's Sixth review notes Tajikistan 
steady progress.  Among the points it notes are: 
- Economic growth in 2011 was stronger th an projected, and headline inflation has 
returned to single digits; 
- Performance on structural benchmarks is largely on track; - Fiscal performance was stronger than targeted; - Performance on quantitative targets was strong; and - The external accounts deteriorat ed by less than anticipated. 
This is an independent corroboration of Tajik istan being on track.  We have perused the 
Accession Package documents which are to our satis faction being in line with WTO requirements.  
Therefore, our Delegation endorses adoption of the Package ad referendum .  
_______________ 
 
Statement by the United States  
We welcome Tajikistan's Delegati on back to Geneva.  This morning, we verified Tajikistan's 
consolidated market access schedules.  We are rea dy to move forward to review the draft Working 
Party Report and we look forward to completion of the rest of our work this afternoon. 
The United States supports WTO Accession for all countries willing to undertake the 
Organization's provisions and to establish commercia lly viable commitments for goods and services.  
We have strongly supported Tajikistan's accession  process with technical assistance and in the 
Working Party deliberations.  From our perspectiv e, and we think, nearly everyone here today, 
Tajikistan has amply fulfilled those criteria.  
Land-locked and facing many economic cha llenges, Tajikistan has shown courage and 
determination in its efforts to complete the acces sion process.  Under the leadership of its team, 
solutions have been found to many difficult issu es, and a hundred separate pieces of new legislation 
and regulation establishing Tajikista n's WTO-consistent trade regime have been enacted since 2005.  
Tajikistan's commitments on goods and service s and agricultural support reflect a strong 
effort to enshrine reform and liberalization in its trade regime, and represent a real effort on 
Tajikistan's part to diversify a nd grow its economy, generate ne w employment opportunities for its 
people, and provide a better environment fo r both foreign and domestic investment.  WT/ACC/TJK/29 
Page 4  
 
  I want to convey our strong disappointment in Russia's response today, which frankly we find 
to be disingenuous.   
Russia was an observer during this period and in a position to understand how advanced the 
work on this package was at the last meeti ng in July, nearly three months ago.   
Tajikistan, after a decade of hard  work, has asked us today to a pprove this package to gives its 
efforts the support they deserve.  
What is most important is that Tajikistan belie ves that its work on this accession advances its 
own development and its  economic reforms.  
We do not see any reason why delay is necessary.  Russia's intervention begs the question as 
to why the Russian Federation woul d want to frustrate these efforts.
   
_______________ 
 
Statement by the Kyrgyz Republic 
We would like to express a warm welcome to the Delegation of Tajikistan led by the Minister 
of Economic Development and Trade of the Republic  of Tajikistan Dr. Sharif Rahimzoda, and we 
congratulate Tajikistan on the successful co mpletion of the Package documentation. 
Tajikistan, as well as Kyrgyzstan has a very liberal trade regime, as a member of the 
Commonwealth of Independent States (C IS) and Eurasian Economic Community. 
Having regarded that our neighbours will be Me mbers of the WTO, including Tajikistan, this 
does not only we win, but also other countries. 
We believe that soonest Membership of Tajik istan in the WTO will contribute for the trade 
liberalization and integration of the entire region into the world trading system and its sustainable 
development.  Therefore, we support the Membersh ip of Tajikistan and ask for support of all the 
Working Party Members. 
_______________ 
Statement by India 
On behalf of the Indian delegation, I extend a warm welcome to the delegation of Tajikistan 
led by H.E. Sharif RAHIMZODA, Minister of Economic Development and Trade.  
 India congratulates the Government of Tajikista n for the considerable progress it has achieved 
towards completing all the accession requirements and appreciates the tremendous amount of hard 
work put in by the Tajik Government in updati ng its foreign trade regime and bringing it in 
compliance with WTO obligations.  This has requi red extensive legislativ e and regulatory reforms 
and a flexible and open-minded appr oach on the part of Tajikistan and members of the Working Party 
to achieve the desired results.  We thank you, Chai r, for leading the process and also appreciate the 
efforts of the Secretariat in putting together the required documentation.   
 
India and Tajikistan share close bilateral ti es characterised by multi-dimensional cooperation 
in diverse fields.  This friendly spirit has guided India's participation in the accession proceedings of 
Tajikistan.  We have consisten tly supported Tajikistan's accession to the WTO and hope that all 
outstanding issues would be resolved soon, paving the way for Tajikistan's entry into the WTO.  India  WT/ACC/TJK/29 
 Page 5 
 
 
  supports the adoption of the draft Accession Package ad referendum  and looks forward to welcoming 
Tajikistan as a Member of the WTO at an early date.   
_______________ 
 
Statement by Chinese Taipei 
 
My Delegation would like to extend a warm welc ome to H.E. Minister Sharif Rahimzoda and 
his distinguished Delegation from Tajikistan to this  formal Working Party meeting.  We must also 
congratulate Tajikistan on its efforts since the last me eting of the Working Party.  Our thanks go to the 
Secretariat as well, for their work in prepari ng the draft report of the Working Party for our 
consideration today.  We hope that  this meeting will help to expe dite Tajikistan's accession to the 
WTO. 
 Mr. Chairman, my Delegation has signed a b ilateral accession protocol with Tajikistan.  
We have certainly been impressed by their strong commitments and their will to accede to the WTO.  
We are also very pleased to see Tajikistan's accession listed as a top priority for the WTO this year.  
We welcome these strong positive signals from bot h the acceding Member and the Working Party 
alike, and we are looking forward to welcoming Tajikistan to the WTO as a fellow Member soon. 
_______________ 
 
Statement by Australia 
Australia joins others in welcoming the Delega tion of Tajikistan led by Minister Rahimzoda.  
We take this opportunity to express our strong su pport for Tajikistan's Accession.  We note that 
immense progress has been made in this accession earlie r this year in particular and that this is 
testament to Tajikistan's commitment to complete its accession process.  
 
We appreciate the Tajik Delegation's very fort hcoming and proactive approach in responding 
to questions and concerns of Members.  And Chair, we appreciate also your role and the role of the 
Secretariat in supporting the process at every step.   
 This has resulted in an Accession Package with wh ich Australia has no issues.  We agree with 
Minister Rahimzoda's assessment that the adoption of this Package will further contribute to the 
development of Tajikistan and foster growth a nd prosperity for the people of Tajikistan.   
 Therefore, we fully support the adoption ad referendum  of the Accession Package at today's 
meeting and we hope to see the Package approve d by the General Council later this year.   
_______________ 
 
Statement by China 
First, please allow me, on behalf of my Ambassad or, to join previous speakers in warmly 
welcoming the Delegation of Tajikistan headed by H.E. Minister Rahimzoda and thank him for the 
updated information on Tajikistan's accession process.  My thanks also go to you, Mr. Chairman for 
your guidance as well as the Secretaria t for their efficient work to pr epare for this hopefully the last 
Working Party meeting. 
 Right now we are at a very special moment, a moment with a gloomy world economy, a 
contracting global trade, an emerging sentiment here  and there to resort to protectionism, and our 
organization in crisis as Members are struggling to revitalize its negotiating function.  Against 
background, accession is actually one of the few tree s in the WTO forest with low-hanging fruits, the WT/ACC/TJK/29 
Page 6  
 
  harvest of which is of systemic importance for all Members, old and new.  Therefore, it is in the 
interests of all of us to safeguard such systemic importance.  
 Mr. Chairman, you know that China joined th is organization in 2001, the year when 
Tajikistan initiated its accession process.  So we  have witnessed how they  have gone through a 
lengthy and difficult process of 11 years as we have  done ourselves, and we always support their 
efforts to join us.  I believe Members are very much impressed by Tajikistan's strong determination 
and tremendous efforts to join this organization, particularly in recent months.  We are also impressed 
how much Tajikistan values this Organization a nd how eager they want to use its envisaged 
Membership to help its economic and social development.  
 
To conclude, China urges all Members presen t today to approve the accession package in 
front of us so that, as Minister Rahimzoda has put it, they return with a historic achievement and we Members stay with a more representative and more consolidated organization.  
_______________ 
 
Statement by Canada  
The Canadian Delegation extends  a warm welcome to the Delegation of Tajikistan.  We 
commend Tajikistan for the strong commitment shown to its accession process, moving forward on changes to legislation to ensure compliance with WTO rules, and engaging in a constructive manner 
to conclude bilate ral negotiations.  
 
Canada strongly supports Tajikistan's accession to  the WTO.  We are satisfied with the draft 
Accession Package that is before us  today, and supports its adoption ad referendum .  We look forward 
to welcoming Tajikistan into the WTO as soon as possible. 
_______________ 
 
Statement by Switzerland  
 
Dear friends from the Tajik Delegation, Dear Colleagues,   In the name of Switzerland, I would like to  welcome the delegation of Tajikistan, led by 
Minister Rahimzoda and I thank him for his meaningf ul opening statement.  Thanks also to the Chair 
and to the Secretariat for their precious work, which pe rmitted us to get to the finish line.  I know, out 
of my own experience, how important that role is!  
 We salute Tajikistan's many most significant reforms and undertaking of a set of valuable 
commitments on goods and services, which do now make it fully WTO compatible.  This has 
certainly not been an easy path to travel and we commend them for their courage and wisdom.   
 Switzerland and Tajikistan enjoy excellent rela tions.  We are both landlocked countries, are 
enjoying mountainous terrain and do cooperate ve ry well in many economic intergovernmental 
organisations.  Switzerland even has a nickname in  Central Asia, which illustrates the closeness of 
these ties:  Helvetistan.  
 We therefore were more than pleased are coope rated very actively with the Government of 
Tajikistan on this path and sincerely hope that its accession to the WTO will be a stepping stone will 
help fostering Tajikistan's development.  
  WT/ACC/TJK/29 
 Page 7 
 
 
  It was our sincere hope the hard work by Tajik istan would be recognized and that we would 
be able to welcome Tajikistan to the WTO table, at least symbolically, today.  
 My understanding is that th e path you have proposed, Mr. Chairman, could be, at least 
technically, represent an acceptable path forward.  
 
An adoption ad referendum  does indeed allow those still having some issues to check to do 
so, while nevertheless allowing the Membership to m ove forward.  But we might nevertheless have to 
wait a bit to do so, the WTO system havi ng consensual decision at its heart.  
 
In other terms, our collective clock might be ha ve to be reset and the adoption of the package 
postponed.  If this is the case, we would hope we  can reconvene as early as possible, in order to 
formally welcome Tajikistan to the WTO, at the Wo rking Party level, and then, in the Council.   
_______________ 
 
Statement by Japan 
 
Japan would also like to take this opportunity to  extend a warm welcome to the Delegation of 
Tajikistan headed by Minister. 
 We would like to strongly support the Accession of Tajikistan.  We thank the constant and 
tremendous efforts by Tajikistan.  Japan believes th at the accession to the WTO is very important for 
Tajikistan as a land-locked country.  Through the accession process, Tajikistan has developed its 
domestic laws and regulati ons in accordance with WTO rules.  Th is will certainly promote domestic 
growth and expansion in international trade.  
 
We also thank you Mr. Chairman for your leadership.  We also thank WTO Secretariat for 
their great support.  
 We join others; we support the adoption of Accession Package ad referendum  at this meeting, 
and we also look forward to the adoption of the Accession Package at the General Council this year.  
_______________ 
 
Statement by Turkey 
 
We would like to welcome H.E. Minister  Rahimzoda and the Members of the Tajik 
Delegation to the ninth meeting of the Working Party.  
 Mr. Chairman, at the outset, we would like to st ate that we are ready to endorse the package 
before us.  We fully suppor t Tajikistan's Membership.  
 It will be very regrettable if the Working Party will not be able to finish this process today on 
ad referendum  basis.  
 Tajikistan's very constructive a pproach, determination and extrem ely efficient work have been 
the key to moving forward in a consistent and speedy ma nner.  In about a year, they were able to meet 
most of the expectations for the WTO Membership.   
 
In this respect, we must thank you for the dedi cated efforts and the Secretariat for leading us 
to a successful conclusion. 
 WT/ACC/TJK/29 
Page 8  
 
  As a developing country, Tajikistan have undert aken extensive commitments.  We have no 
doubt that they will implement them in the course of time as provided under their accession package.  It is important to note that accession process and its  implementation have enabled Tajikistan to raise 
its domestic legislation to the level of current world practices.  The commitments are based on the well-established standards and disciplines in the Multilateral Trading System, and as a result, the 
Membership will anchor Tajikistan tightly to the worl d economy, providing benefits to Tajik citizens.  
 In closing, Mr. Chairman, we would like to reiterate that we are looking forward to see 
Tajikistan joining the WTO as soon as possible and hope that Members of Working Party will show 
the necessary flexibility at today’s meeting in moving forward to adopt the package on ad referendum  
basis. 
_______________  
 
Statement by Brazil 
Since this is my first time for taking the floor , please allow me to congratulate the Secretariat 
for the hard work done on Tajikistan and welcome th e Delegation of Tajikistan led by Minister Sharif 
Rahimzoda. 
 
 Going very straight to the point, I would like to  stay that Brazil is ready to join a consensus 
and to support the adoption ad referendum  of the Accession Package of Tajikistan. 
_______________  
 
Statement by the European Union  
Second intervention  
Based on own experience, we fully understand th e importance of having sufficient time to 
analyse documents.  Adoption of the accession package ad referendum  will allow sufficient time to 
Russia between now and the December Genera l Council to review the accession package. 
 As mentioned in my initial statement, the draf t package has been available since August and 
the amendments made thereto in the last versions  do not go against the commitments included in the 
previous versions.  We are in a position to adopt ad referendum  today and hoped that other Members 
could do likewise. 
 
The EU regrets that Russia cannot yet join the consensus in favour of Tajikistan's accession to 
the WTO.  The package of commitments in front of  us should be adopted as soon as possible since its 
pro-growth effects will be to the benefit of Tajikis tan, of the whole WTO Membership, and of course 
also of Tajikistan's immediate neighbours. 
 
 The General Council should at the latest be in a position to decide on this at its meeting in 
December.  We hope that Tajikistan's accession pa ckage will not be reopened on substance – again 
because it is overall of a good quality and to the benefit of everyone. 
_______________   WT/ACC/TJK/29 
 Page 9 
 
 
  Concluding remarks by the Chairperson 
It is my understanding that one delegation is not in a position to join the consensus in the 
Working Party and support the adoption ad referendum  of Tajikistan's draft accession package today.  
I find this situation highly regrettable.  For the reas ons that I outlined earlier, I believe that Tajikistan's 
accession is ripe for conclusion and would not have  caught anyone by surprise.  This being said, 
however, we all know that this is a consensus Me mber-driven process, and if a Member objects to a 
given course of action, we cannot move forward.  I also understood from all of you today that the 
package is stabilized and it is not open for further negotiations.  I th erefore, have to suspend this 
meeting and revert to it when the Russian Federa tion Delegation informs me or the Director of 
Accessions, when they are ready to see us all here again.  Then, after consultations with the Members 
and the Director-General, we will inform you a bout when the meeting will be reconvened.   
__________