OPENING SESSION

09:00 – 09:30 Registration

09:30 – 10:00

Opening Ceremony

• Opening remarks by Ambassador Alan Wm. WOLFF, Deputy Director-General, WTO
  Statement
• Welcome remarks by Ambassador Zhanar AITZHANOVA, Permanent Representative of Kazakhstan to the WTO
  Statement
• Introductory remarks by Ambassador ZHANG Xiangchen, Permanent Representative to the WTO, China
  Statement

SESSION 1

EURASIA IN THE GLOBAL ECONOMY AND THE MULTILATERAL TRADING SYSTEM

Moderator: Ambassador Alan Wm. WOLFF, Deputy Director-General, WTO

Eurasia extends its vast geographical landmass stretching from China to Europe, historically connecting different people, communities and cultures through trade. Following the dissolution of the Soviet Union and Yugoslavia, trade has played a powerful role in transforming newly independent countries and in deepening their relationships with the rest of the world, including through WTO accessions. Today, with its vast deposits of natural resources, proximity to large and fast growing markets and increased connectivity across the region, Eurasia is once again at the heart of globalisation attention. This session will: (i) discuss the evolution of Eurasia in the global economy, including different forces and players shaping the region; and (ii) provide an overview of the evolution of regional integration in Eurasia, including the impact of economic reforms on the trade and economic performance of the countries in the region.

10:00 – 11:00
(The panellists are invited to make 10-min statements)

Eurasia in the global economy: What are the forces shaping the future of the region?

• Mr Patrick LOW, former WTO Chief Economist
  Presentation

Belt and Road Initiative and the multilateral trading system

• Mr HU Yingzhi, Deputy Director-General, Ministry of Commerce, China
  Presentation

Eurasian Economic Union – Regional Integration

• Ms Veronika NIKISHINA, Minister for Trade, Eurasian Economic Commission

Commentator:

• Mr Giovanni CAPANNELLI, Country Director to Kazakhstan, Asian Development Bank

Followed by open discussion

SESSION 2

EVOLUTION OF WTO ACCESSIONS IN EURASIA: RESULTS, IMPACTS AND NEW TRENDS

This session will focus on the exchange of experiences in WTO accession negotiations in Eurasia, concluded and ongoing, and the specific negotiating results in completed accessions. Following the dissolution of the Soviet Union and Yugoslavia in 1991, most of the newly-independent states made applications to join the GATT in 1993 and 1994. Each of these accession processes had its own dynamics and specific outcomes. Some of the accession processes were longer and carried greater complexities, including those associated with creation of a regional trade bloc before joining the WTO. Following an overview presentation on the achievements to date and the state of play in WTO accessions in Eurasia, this session will focus on: (A) concluded and ongoing WTO accessions in the context of the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU); (B) the experiences of Article XII Members from the region; and (C) ongoing accession negotiations.

Moderator: Ms Maika OSHIKAWA, Director, Accessions Division, WTO

11:15 – 11:30
(The panellists are invited to make 10-min statements, followed by 5-min interventions by each commentator)

Overview of WTO accessions in Eurasia – Achievements to date and state of play

• Ms Maika OSHIKAWA, Director, Accessions Division, WTO
  Presentation

11:30 – 13:00

WTO accessions in the context of the EAEU

• Ambassador Zhanar AITZHANOVA, Permanent Representative to the WTO, former Chief Negotiator for WTO Accession, Kazakhstan
• Mr Maxim MEDVEDKOV, Director, Trade Negotiations Department, Ministry of Economic Development, former Chief Negotiator for WTO Accession, Russian Federation
• Ambassador Vladimir SERPIKOV, Chief Negotiator for WTO Accession, Directorate General for Foreign Economic Activities, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Belarus

Commentators:

• Mr Carlos GIMENO, Senior Trade Advisor, DG Trade, European Commission
• Mr Neil BECK, Director for WTO and Multilateral Affairs, Office of the United States Trade Representative
• Mr Vesa HIMANEN, former Permanent Representative of Finland to WTO and Chairperson of the Working Party on the Accession of Kazakhstan

Followed by open discussion

13:00 – 14:15 - Lunch Break

Round Table of Article XII Members

Moderator: Ambassador ZHANG Xiangchen, Permanent Representative of China to the WTO

14:15 – 16:00

What are the most important factors to deliver accession?
What are the post-accession experiences and gains?

• Mr Avag AVANESYAN, Deputy Minister of Economic Development and Investments, Armenia
• Ms Iulia COSTIN, State Secretary-General, Ministry of Economy and Infrastructure, Moldova
• Mr Radosav BABIC, Deputy Minister of Economy, Montenegro
• Mr Zavqi ZAVQIZODA, First Deputy Minister for Economic Development and Trade, Tajikistan
• Ambassador Mohammad Qurban HAQJO, Permanent Representative to the WTO, Afghanistan

16:00 – 16:15 - Coffee break

Round Table of Acceding Governments

Moderator: Mr Jovan JEKIĆ, Senior WTO/Trade Adviser, USAID Competitiveness, Trade and Jobs Activities in Central Asia (CTJ)

16:15 – 18:00

What does WTO accession offer today?

• Mr Hamdo TINJAK, Secretary, Chief Negotiator for WTO Accession, Ministry of Foreign Trade and Economic Relations, Bosnia and Herzegovina
• Ms Olivera JOCIC, Acting Assistant Minister, Chief Negotiator for WTO Accession, Ministry of Trade, Tourism and Telecommunication, Serbia
• Mr Madhi ALIZADEH, Advisor to Minister on International Trade Researches and Accession to the WTO, Ministry of Industry, Mine and Trade, Iran
• Mr Mushfig OSMANOV, Head of Division on Trade Representatives, Trade Policy and WTO Issues Department, Ministry of Economy, Azerbaijan
• Mr Askar MIRSAIDOV, Head of Legal Department, Ministry for Foreign Trade, Uzbekistan
• Ambassador Atanas PAPARIZOV, Permanent Representative of Bulgaria to the WTO and Chairperson of the Working Party on the Accession of Bosnia and Herzegovina
• Ambassador Marie-Claire SWÄRD CAPRA, Head of Mission, Embassy of Sweden in Algeria, Chairperson of the Working Party on the Accession of Serbia

18:00 End of Day One

SESSION 3

CONTRIBUTIONS OF WTO ACCESSIONS TO RULE-MAKING

Moderator: Ambassador Chiedu OSAKWE, Chief Trade Negotiator, Director-General, Nigerian Office for Trade Negotiations, and former Director of the WTO Accessions Division

WTO Accessions have proved to be a vehicle for WTO rule-making, often a step ahead of multilateral trade negotiations. For instance, since 1997 Article XII Members individually undertook the commitment to eliminate export subsidies in agriculture as part of their accession packages to join the WTO, much before the historical decision taken by all WTO Members at the 9th Ministerial Conference in Nairobi, Kenya, in 2015. Some accession packages include disciplines in the area of export regulation, including the tariff concessions on exports. Article XII Members are active participants in WTO agreements of plurilateral nature, such as in the areas of Information Technology and Government Procurement. This session will focus on the role and importance of WTO accessions for the future of rule-making.

09:00–10:45
(A 15-min presentation will be made, followed by 5-min interventions by each commentator)

Contributions of WTO Accessions to Rule-Making

• Mr Dimitar BRATANOV, Economic Affairs Officer, Accessions Division, WTO
  Presentation

Commentators:

• Ambassador Alfredo SUESCUM, Permanent Representative of Panama to the WTO, Coordinator of the Article XII Members Group
• Mr Maxim MEDVEDKOV, Director, Trade Negotiations Department, Ministry of Economic Development and former Chief Negotiator for WTO Accession, Russian Federation
• Ambassador Atanas PAPARIZOV, Permanent Representative of Bulgaria to the WTO and former Chief Negotiator for WTO Accession of Bulgaria

Followed by open discussion

10:45 –11:15 - Coffee Break

SESSION 4

JOINT INITIATIVES IN TRADE

Moderator: Mr Pierre Sauvé, Senior Trade Specialist, Macroeconomics, Trade and Investment Global Practice, World Bank Group

At the WTO’s 11th Ministerial Conference in Buenos Aires a number of Members announced new initiatives to advance talks at the WTO on the issues of electronic commerce, investment facilitation and micro, small and medium size enterprises (MSMEs). This session will facilitate continued discussions on these subjects.

11:15 – 13:00
(The panellists are invited to make a 10-min statement/presentation, followed by 5-min interventions by each commentator)

State of play in Joint Initiatives in Trade:

• Ambassador Juan Carlos GONZÁLEZ, Permanent Representative of Colombia to the WTO, Coordinator of the Structured Discussions on Investment Facilitation for Development
• Ambassador José Luís CANCELA GÓMEZ, Permanent Representative of Uruguay to the WTO, Chairperson of the Working Party on the Accession of Algeria, Coordinator of the Informal Group on Micro, Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises (MSMEs)
• Ambassador Alvaro CEDEÑO MOLINARI, Permanent Representative of Costa Rica to the WTO

Commentators:

• Ambassador Alfredo SUESCUM, Permanent Representative of Panama to the WTO, Coordinator of the Article XII Members Group
• Mr Rajesh AGGARWAL, Chief, Trade Facilitation and Policy for Business, International Trade Centre (ITC)

Followed by open discussion

13:00 – 14:30 - Lunch Break

14:30– 15:30

Consideration of the "Report on the Outcome of the Seventh China Round Table"

All participants

15:30 – 16:00 Coffee Break

HIGH-LEVEL CLOSING SESSION

Moderator: Ms Maika OSHIKAWA, Director, Accessions Division, WTO

16:00 – 17:00

• Remarks by Mr Roberto AZEVÊDO, Director-General, WTO
  Statement
• Remarks by Mr Yerbolat DOSSAYEV, Deputy Prime Minister, Kazakhstan
• Remarks by Mr LI Chenggang, Assistant Minister of Commerce, China
  Statement
• Report on the Outcome of the Seventh China Round Table – Ambassador Zhanar AITZHANOVA, Permanent Representative of Kazakhstan to the WTO

17:00 – 17:15 Group photograph

17:15 End of Day Two

18:30

Tranfert to the Ritz Carlton Hotel (from the lobby of Hilton Hotel)

19:00

Dinner to be hosted by the Government of Kazakhstan (Ritz Carlton Hotel)