Initiative on Low-Income CIS-7 Countries: Tentative Cooperation Programme for 2005
Tbilisi (Georgia), 8-10 December 2004

1. The main objective of the Agency for International Trade Information and Cooperation (AITIC) is to assist resource-constrained developing countries and countries with economies in transition to participate effectively in the international trading system and in the World Trade Organization (WTO). During 1998-2000, AITIC successfully cooperated with economies in transition, particularly Baltic States and some Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) countries in their process of accession to the WTO.

2. To further develop the cooperation with economies in transition two recent fundamental changes need to be taken into consideration. Firstly, a significant number of countries, such as Armenia, Estonia, Georgia, Latvia, Lithuania, the Kyrgyz Republic and Moldova have completed their accession processes to the WTO. Secondly, on 1 May 2004, a number of countries with economies in transition became members of the European Union (EU) and two others, namely Bulgaria and Romania, expect to accede in 2007.

3. At this stage, the new initiative will focus on the CIS-7 transition economies, n amely Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, the Kyrgyz Republic, Moldova, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan, but the programme may also be extended to other countries in the region. All of the seven countries are low-income countries [note 1] that need enhanced trade-related technical assistance (TRTA) to better integrate into the international trading system [note 2]. Although situated in three different sub-regions (Central Asia, South Caucasus and South Eastern Europe), they share many similar interests in regional and international trade. Practically all CIS-7 countries have experienced significant growth of GDP and further export diversification over the last few years.

4. AITIC shares the view that TRTA should not be terminated once a country becomes a WTO member and must be adapted to the particular needs of acceding countries.


II. Cooperation Proposals for 2005

A. Summary of activities

5. A series of focused training and capacity-building activities will be organised aimed at supporting the accession of Azerbaijan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan to the WTO and at strengthening the capacity of WTO members: Armenia, Georgia, the Kyrgyz Republic and Moldova, for their effective participation in ongoing WTO negotiations.

i) Regional activities

6. Following a dialogue between AITIC and the CIS-7 countries, initiated in July 2004, on technical cooperation and capacity-building requirements, AITIC proposes the following regional activities for 2005:

● Translate into Russian the AITIC Glossary of Commonly Used International Trade Terminology with Particular Reference to the WTO; which will be available by early 2005; revisions of the English version will also be incorporated in the Russian version;

● Conduct a study on the implications of WTO negotiations on cotton for Uzbekistan and other cotton-producing countries in collaboration with concerned AITIC members and other trade-related international organisations and bilateral donors, with corresponding conclusions and recommendations. It is expected that the study will be finalised by late spring 2005;

● Compile biannual overviews on the progress of accession to the WTO of countries with economies in transition from the CIS region by late spring 2005 and the end of 2005 respectively.

● Prepare a study on the economic impact of accession commitments of Armenia, Georgia, the Kyrgyz Republic and Moldova to the WTO containing conclusions and proposals related to the current round of multilateral trade negotiations in cooperation with governments of these countries and other interested trade-related international organisations and bilateral donors, by the summer of 2005;

● Organise a regional seminar on the CIS-7 countries currently negotiating their accession to the WTO. The impact of their eventual WTO membership on the other CIS-7 countries will be examined. The tentative date for the seminar would be around the summer of 2005. If funding is available, participants from, inter alia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, the Russian Federation and Ukraine would be invited. It is expected that collaboration will be possible with national governments and other trade-related international organisations and bilateral donors.

● Organise a regional seminar on trade facilitation and ongoing WTO negotiations, co-organised with the Secretariat of the Stability Pact for South Eastern Europe; in the autumn of 2005.

7. The above-mentioned activities will be implemented following a step-by-step and flexible approach. Further development of the initiative will depend on the results of Phase I of the cooperation with the CIS-7 countries.

ii) Bilateral activities

8. Bilateral activities will be undertaken following individual requests from interested countries. Priority will be given to AITIC Participating Members.

Note 1: Official GDP per capita for 2003 vary between US$193 ( Tajikistan) and US$771 ( Armenia), suggesting that the CIS-7 countries rank among the low-income developing countries; they are all IDA-recipient countries. (return to text)

Note 2: See A rticle 38 of the Doha Ministerial Declaration, paragraph 38 of the Monterrey Consensus and paragraph 1 on technical assistance of the Decision Adopted by the General Council of the WTO on 1 August 2004 (WT/L/579), which emphasise the importance of expanding TRTA to developing countries and low-income countries in transition. (return to text)