On the sidelines of the 14th World Trade Organization (WTO) Ministerial Conference (MC14) currently taking place in Yaoundé, Cameroon, Ethiopia and Saudi Arabia held consultative meeting related to trade and market access.
Ethiopia’s Minister of Trade and Regional Integration, Kasahun Gofe (PhD), held a bilateral discussion with Farid Al Asaly, Saudi Arabia’s Vice Governor for International Agreements and Organizations and Lead Negotiator. According to information from the social media page of the Ministry of Trade and Regional Integration of Ethiopia, this diplomatic effort will accelerate Ethiopia’s journey to join the international trading system and further secure the country’s trade interests.
The discussion primarily focused on market access negotiations between the two countries and conditions to further enhance trade exchange. The Minister explained Ethiopia’s firm commitment and readiness to conclude its negotiations to join the World Trade Organization by 2026.
It was noted that at this stage, where Ethiopia’s efforts to become a WTO member are nearing completion, bilateral negotiations with strong trading partners like Saudi Arabia hold great significance for the country’s economic growth and the modernization of its trade system.
Agreement was reached between both parties to expedite upcoming technical negotiations to finalize the bilateral market access agreement before the Working Party meeting to be held in Geneva next April.
In a related development during the WTO meeting Ethiopia and the World Bank have agreed to strengthen cooperation in the areas of trade facilitation and quality infrastructure construction. During the discussion, it was widely recommended to jointly support Ethiopia’s journey to facilitate trade, strengthen quality infrastructure, and jointly support Ethiopia’s journey to become a member of the World Trade Organization.
During the discussion, the activities carried out, in particular, the simplification of the commercial start-up of the ‘Basket’ one-window service, the construction of modern animal marketing centers under the ‘Drive’ project, and the further development of the laboratory center of the National Quality Village were evaluated.
The two sides agreed to continue to work together for greater results, and agreed that the new ‘Boost’ project will be used to accelerate Ethiopia’s journey to membership in the World Trade Organization. In addition, it was agreed that the project will be implemented in a manner that will enhance the implementation of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) and enhance the country’s export competitiveness.
