KAZAKHSTAN WILL OFFICIALLY JOIN WTO ON MONDAY

Astana, Kazakhstan, 12 Shawwal 1436/28 July 2015  (MINA) – Senate Speaker of Kazakhstan Kassym-Zhomart Tokayev has said that his country will officially join the World Trade Organization (WTO) on Monday, Russia Today (Arabic) website reported.

“The official ceremony of Kazakhstan’s accession to the WTO will be held on July 27,” the Senate speaker informed Sunday via Twitter, according to  IINA reports as received by Mi’raj Islamic News Agency (MINA).

On June 10, Kazakhstan and the WTO announced they had reached an agreement for Kazakhstan’s accession to the trade body, bringing an end to an almost 20-year negotiation process that began when the Central Asian Republic applied in January 1996.

On June 22, the WTO Working Group on Kazakhstan formally approved its entry. The members praised the “high quality” of Kazakhstan’s accession package, saying it would provide significant improvements in market access opportunities for all WTO members.

President Nursultan Nazarbayev hailed the “historic” event, saying that, “Accession to the WTO is a victory for the whole country, and recognition of Kazakhstan as an integral part of the global economic system”.

The WTO is an international organization whose primary purpose is to open trade for the benefit of all. It currently has 161 members, in addition to 24 non-member observer states. The WTO Secretariat is located in Geneva, Switzerland. (T/P007/R04)

Mi’raj Islamic News Agency (MINA)