Kazakhstan continues active WTO talks

WASHINGTON. March 25. (AP). On March 1-5, 2009 the first round of bilateral negotiations with Saudi Arabia on Kazakhstan?s accession to the World Trade Organization was held in the city of Riyadh.

The Kazakh delegation was led by Deputy Minister of Industry and Trade, Special Representative at the negotiations on Kazakhstan?s accession to the WTO, Ms. Zhanar Aitzhanova and included Kazakh Deputy Minister of Energy and Mineral Resources, Mr. Aset Magauov. The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia was represented by high ranking officials of the Ministries of Trade and Industry, Oil and Mineral Resources, Finance, as well as the Agency on Telecommunication Regulation and Central Bank. During the meeting with the Deputy Minister of Oil of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia Salman Bin Abdul Aziz, the Saudi official expressed his willingness to assist Kazakhstan in swift completion of its bilateral negotiations and provide support during multilateral negotiations on the country?s accession to the WTO. Representatives of Saudi Arabia shared with Kazakh counterparts their experience of holding consultations on the Kingdom?s accession to the WTO, particularly, on regulating state trade enterprises, merchant laws. They said they stood ready to provide consultative support to the Kazakh negotiating team on a regular basis. During the visit the parties have also agreed to sign an Agreement on Encouragement and Mutual Investment Protection that will promote mutual investments. It is expected that Kazakhstan?s Special Representative for WTO talks Zhanar Aitzhanova will visit Brussels on March 29th ? April 2nd to finalize respective bilateral negotiations with the European Union; Kazakh embassy in the USA informs referring to Associated Press.