KAZAKHSTAN TRADE AUTHORITIES VISIT BRUSSELS,

PLAN HIGH-PROFILE VISIT TO WASHINGTON

On July 15-17, a high-ranking delegation from Kazakhstan led by the Minister of Economic Development and Trade Ms. Zhanar Aitzhanova visited Brussels, Belgium, to hold bilateral consultations with the European Union on Kazakhstan’s accession to the World Trade Organization. At her meeting with European Commissioner for Trade Karel De Gucht Minister Aitzhanova informed her counterpart of the completion of Kazakhstan’s bilateral negotiations with the European Union on goods market access in relation to the country’s future accession to the WTO.

Zhanar Aitzhanova said the agreement was reached after 5 years of complicated negotiations with the European Union. Two issues remain to be addressed: Kazakhstan’s ability to apply export duties on commodities as well as financial services market access for foreign banks and insurance companies. Negotiations with the European Union are expected to be completed by October, 2010.

Ms. Aitzhanova also briefed her European colleagues on the process of establishing the Customs Union between Kazakhstan, Russia and Belarus. In particular, creation of the common market with 170 million people and GDP of 1,8 trillion USD would make Kazakhstan even more attractive for foreign investors. Thus, elimination of internal customs borders and harmonization of legislation of the Customs Union members will create additional benefits for the trading partners by ensuring free circulation of goods among the Customs Union member countries.

Minister Aitzhanova also informed that to finalize WTO accession related negotiations Kazakhstan still needs to complete its bilaterals with Saudi Arabia and the United States and both are at the final stage.

A joint visit to Washington, DC by Kazakhstan’s First Deputy Prime Minister Umirzak Shukeyev and Minister Aitzhanova is scheduled for early September, 2010 and they plan to hold series of meetings with USTR, Department of State, and the White House seeking to achieve tangible progress in Kazakh-US bilateral talks on WTO accession. Negotiations on sanitary and phytosanitary measures, intellectual property rights and veterinary certificates are all at their final stage.

Kazakhstan expects to finalize bilaterals with the U.S. and Saudi Arabia until the end of the current year.

Accession to the WTO has always been and remains a foreign policy priority for Kazakhstan.  Negotiations on the country’s WTO accession have been on-going for more than 13 years.