  
  
WT/ACC/35  
WT/GC/20 4 
WT/MIN(20)/1  
 
10 December 2019  
(19-8535) Page: 1/10 
  Original: English   
 
 
EIGHTH CHINA ROUND T ABLE ON WTO ACCESSIO NS 
MOSCOW, RUSSIAN FEDE RATION, 4 -6 DECEMBER  2019  
ACCESSIONS AND WTO R EFORM: ON THE ROAD T O MC12  
Report on the Outcome of the Moscow Round Table1 
The following submission, dated 10 December 2019 , is being circulated at the request of the 
Delegation of the Russian Federation.  
 
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1 This Report has been prepared under the responsibility of the host Government.  All statements and 
presentations, as well as the list of participants, are available at 
https://www.wto.org/english/thewto_e/acc_e/8thcrtprog_e.htm . WT/ACC/35 • WT/GC/20 4 • WT/MIN(20)/1  
 
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INTRODUCTION AND OVE RVIEW  
1. The Eighth China Round Table on WTO Accessions took place in Moscow, Russian Federation, 
from 4 to 5 December 2019 (hereinaft er: the Moscow Round Table). This Round Table was organized 
by the WTO Secretariat in partnership with the Government of the Russian Federation, as host, and 
the Government of China under the framework of the China's LDCs and Accessions Programme 
(hereinaf ter: the China Programme).  
2. The Moscow Round Table was the eighth in the China Round Table dialogue which began in 
Beijing, China in May 2012.2 Discussions at this Round Table, entitled "Accessions and WTO Reform: 
On the Road to MC12", focused on: (i) contr ibutions of accessions to WTO Reform and the relevance 
of the Joint Initiatives  (JIs) to acceding governments (Sessions 1 and 2); (ii) the state of play in 
accessions (Session 3); (iii) coherence and synergies between deeper regional integration efforts 
and the WTO accession process (Session 4); and (iv) preparation for the 12th WTO Ministerial 
Conference (MC12) (Session 5). The two -day discussions were followed by a meeting of the Informal 
Group of Acceding Governments (IGAG), chaired by Belarus, Coordinat or of the Group, on 
6 December. The programme of the Round Table is annexed to this Report.  
3. The Round Table was well attended .  Participants  included  representatives from 11 acceding 
governments ,3 eight Article XII Members4, and two governments expressing interest in accession5. 
Many of these governments were represented at the level of Minister, Deputy Minister, Ambassador 
and/or Chief Negotiator. In addition, representatives of original WTO Members and Working Party 
Chairpe rsons; as well as various stakeholders from the host country, including government officials, 
academia and experts from partner institutions took part in the Round Table.6 
OPENING REMARKS  
4. The Moscow Round Table was jointly opened by Mr Maxim Oreshkin, Mini ster of Economic 
Development of the Russian Federation , Ambassador Zhang Xiangchen, Permanent Representative 
of China to the WTO, and Ambassador Alan Wm. Wolff, WTO Deputy Director -General.    
5. The opening statements underscored the role of the multilateral  trading system (MTS) in 
promoting economic stability and peace through economic development, trade liberalization and 
adoption and implementation of agreed WTO rules. The value of the system to least -developed 
countries (LDCs) was also highlighted. To adapt and stay relevant, the WTO should be maintained 
and further developed by its Members, with a view to enhancing its effectiveness and authority. 
The lessons from WTO accessions could provide a source of inspiration to help the WTO develop a 
systemic resp onse to the challenges that it was facing. It was recognized that WTO accessions can 
have an impact on the ongoing WTO negotiations , and vice versa. The statements highlighted the 
need for a pragmatic approach as the WTO prepares for MC12, including import ance of advancement 
of discussions on Joint Initiatives (e.g., Investment Facilitation for Development, as one of positive 
agenda items with promising prospects).  
6. The statements recognized the success stories of past WTO accessions, including those of 
LDCs, in promoting further economic growth. It was noted that a ccession -related activity continued 
to expand, as reflected in the pace of the 22 ongoing accessions. Since 2016, when the WTO 
welcomed its most recent new Members, three new accession Working Par ties had been established 
(for Somalia, Timor -Leste and South Sudan) and two further applicants, present at the Moscow 
                                                
2 The successive China Roun d Tables – held in Beijing, China in May 2012, in Luang Prabang, Lao PDR in 
October 2013, Dushanbe, Tajikistan in May 2015, Nairobi, Kenya in December 2015, Siem Reap, Cambodia in 
March 2017; Buenos Aires, Argentina in December 2017 , and Astana, Kazakhstan , in September 2018  – have 
contributed to better understanding of the accession process and have injected positive impetus in specific 
accessions.  
3 Azerbaijan, Belarus, Bosnia and Herzegovina,  Equatorial Guinea, Ethiopia , Iran,  Iraq, Serbia, Sudan, 
Timor -Leste  and Uzbekistan;  
4 Afghanistan, Armenia,  Bulgaria, China,  Kazakhstan, Kyrgyz Republic, Panama, Russian Federation and  
Tajikistan.  
5 Curaçao and Turkmenistan. Curaçao submitted a request for accession pursuant to Article XII , on 
1 November 2019 ( WT/ACC/CUW/1 ). 
6 Original Members : Chile,  European Union , Japan, Peru and Uruguay; Chairpersons of the Accession 
Working Parties of Algeria, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Comoros; partner  institutions: Eurasian Economic 
Commission, the International Trade Centre, the Higher School of Economics, and the WTO Expertise Center.  WT/ACC/35 • WT/GC/20 4 • WT/MIN(20)/1  
 
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Round Table, had recently expressed interest in starting a WTO accession process (Curaçao and 
Turkmenistan). Among the ongoing accessions , some governments had entered into the final phases 
of their negotiations (e.g., Bosnia and Herzegovina, Belarus, Comoros), while others were resuming 
their processes after years of dormancy (e.g. , Ethiopia, Iraq, Sudan, Uzbekistan). In parallel to their 
WTO accessions, many of these acceding governments were also actively pursuing deeper 
integration at regional level.   
ACCESSIONS AND WTO R EFORM (SESSION 1)  
7.  As the global economy is undergoing unprecedented change and the MTS has come under 
pressure, a policy debate is underway on how to improve and adapt the rules and operation of the 
WTO. Through the acceptance of accession -specific commitments, Article XII Member s and WTO 
acceding governments are also contributing to the evolution of the MTS and have a role to play in 
this discussion. At the same time, any agreed outcomes resulting from the ongoing work in the WTO 
can have a substantial impact on the parameters of  accession negotiations. This session focused on 
the role and contributions of completed and ongoing WTO accessions in the ongoing debate and the 
possible way forward.  
8. The speakers recognized the existence of unprecedented challenges facing the WTO and 
provided a general  overview of ongoing WTO Reform discussions, including transparency, notification 
obligations, differentiation and S&D treatment, and the functioning of the dispute settlement system. 
It was acknowledged that WTO Reform is a continuous proce ss. All speakers noted that: 
(i) accessions have made, and continue to make, significant contributions to the evolution of the 
MTS, in terms of both geographical scope and substance; (ii) acceding governments are in the 
vanguard of WTO Reform through the a cceptance of accession commitments, and have the potential 
to light the path forward for the MTS; and (iii) WTO acceding governments should follow the WTO's 
current agenda, including Reform discussions, as this would likely play a part in their accession 
negotiations. It was noted that participation of the acceding governments in informal WTO meetings, 
including those focused on the Joint Initiatives discussions, should be  strongly encouraged. 
China  expressed support for accession outcomes at MC12 and highl ighted the role  of the China 
Round Table  as a platform for information  exchange and capacity building for acceding governments, 
in particular LDCs. The European Union  noted that its priorities in the current WTO Reform debate 
were to (i) level the playing field with regard to subsidization; and (ii) update approaches to S&D 
treatment in the WTO. Promoting the evolution of the WTO's architecture by incorporating, for 
instance, plurilateral approaches was also important. Panama  (coordinator, Article XII Membe rs 
Group) noted that there was no causal link between the acceptance of "WTO+" accession 
commitments and the evolution of WTO rules. However, acceding governments could contribute to 
WTO Reform through active involvement in the WTO negotiations and by seek ing to level the playing 
field as soon as they became new Members.  
9. In response  to specific questions, the speakers noted that accession could be embraced as an 
opportunity to dock reforms which would otherwise be difficult. Thus, "WTO+" requests should not  
be dismissed outright as bad ideas as they could be appropriate in a particular domestic context. 
In general, Members have avoided requesting accession commitments (or making multilateral 
proposals) which go beyond their own applied levels of protection. Support mechanisms are available 
through the WTO Secretariat, other organizations, and also bilaterally through WTO Members. It  was 
also noted that, in general, acceding governments tended to achieve greater trade and economic 
growth after accession.  
JOINT  INITIATIVES AND WTO  ACCESSIONS (SESSION  2) 
10. Since the 11th WTO Ministerial Conference in Buenos Aires (MC11), like -minded WTO Members 
have engaged in discussions on E -Commerce; Investment Facilitation for Development; Micro -, 
Small - and Medium -sized Enterp rises (MSMEs) and Domestic Regulation in Services. These Joint 
Initiatives (JI) are aimed at making the MTS more responsive to the evolving needs of the global 
economy. Article XII Members are participating in these initiatives. The session discussed the s tate 
of play and focused on the potential implications of these initiatives on the ongoing WTO accessions.  
11. This session  provided historical background and reported on the current state of play in three 
JIs. The prospects for outcomes at MC12 were also dis cussed. The speakers stressed the relevance 
of all the JIs for development. WTO acceding governments were invited to participate in, and WT/ACC/35 • WT/GC/20 4 • WT/MIN(20)/1  
 
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contribute to, the JI discussions. They were reminded of the importance of following these 
discussions. It was noted th at active interest by acceding governments in the JIs would be received 
positively by WTO Members, especially where bilateral negotiations were still ongoing with the 
acceding government.  
12. The Russian Federation  noted that when accession negotiations run in parallel with other 
negotiating processes among WTO Members, there could be consequences for the dynamics of the 
accession negotiations . Thus, there was a risk that acceding governments would be asked to 
under take "WTO+" commitments or to accept commitments on issues where there were differing 
views among WTO Members. However, on the positive side, the incorporation of best regulatory 
practices could be beneficial, even if the acceptance of a particular commitm ent amounted to a 
"WTO+" obligation.  
WTO ACCESSIONS – STATE OF PLAY (SESSION 3) 
13. This interactive session updated participants on ongoing accession negotiations. It provided 
an opportunity for an exchange of views, through a panel and a round table discussi on, on the 
specific challenges facing the acceding governments and ways to overcome these challenges. 
The session began with an overview presentation on the state of play in ongoing WTO accessions by 
the WTO Secretariat and highlighted the achievements to date. 
14. Speaking in the panel, Belarus  stressed that the accession commitments package should be 
well-balanced and beneficial both to acceding governments and WTO Members. The speed of the 
accession process did not depend on the acceding government only. Bosnia and Herzegovina  
believed that, despite the existing challenges with certain Members, possibilities always existed for 
compromise.  
15. The Chairperson of the Working Party on the Accession of Bosnia and Herzegovina  
acknowledged the political commitment of t he Government, the Parliament and the negotiating team 
of Bosnia and Herzegovina, as well as the goodwill of WTO Members to conclude this accession. 
As the WTO and EU accession processes were related, the outstanding issues could hopefully be 
resolved in t he context of the EU accession.   
16. The Chairperson of the Working Party on the Accession of Comoros  stressed the importance 
of understanding by acceding governments of the consequences of accession in the short run. 
Members at large did not understand the pa rticular situations of acceding governments and were 
not aware of acceding governments' efforts to accede to the WTO. In this context, a collective 
assistance  to acceding governments was needed. To overcome challenges, it was important to 
benefit from syne rgies in international collaboration, including with the World Bank and the IMF.  
17. Internal coordination, raising public awareness and convincing the domestic critics about the 
positive impact of WTO membership were among the biggest challenges facing many acceding 
governments. In addition, building a dedicated negotiating team was a dif ficult task due to the lack 
of technical  expertise and a complex nature of accession negotiations. In this context, acceding 
governments stressed the importance of optimal and efficient use of technical assistance available 
for WTO accessions.   
18. Ethiopia  viewed the WTO accession as a logical outcome of its unilateral domestic reform 
process.  Iraq called for a united stand and voice of the Arab region in the WTO decision -making 
process. Iran noted that decision -making by consensus should not be applied to a ccessions to avoid 
deadlock situations. The enactment of the WTO -consistent legislation on GMO was an outstanding 
multilateral issue in the accession of Serbia .   
REGIONAL INTEGRATION  AND WTO ACCESSIONS (SESSION 4)  
19. Session 4 focused on the interplay betwee n WTO accession, the broader MTS, and regional 
integration  efforts. The speakers recognized the high relevance of the issue, which needed to be 
studied and explored, and discussed the challenges associated with WTO accession processes 
running in parallel w ith regional integration efforts.  WT/ACC/35 • WT/GC/20 4 • WT/MIN(20)/1  
 
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20. Ethiopia  discussed the challenges related to maintaining coherence and consistency between 
the regional (AfCFTA) and multilateral (WTO accession) agenda, as well as their sequencing. 
Regional trade agreements (RTAs) had t o be built on broader development objectives. Both regional 
and multilateral  obligations could be embraced as long as they helped achieve development 
objectives. RTAs and the MTS were complementary and not mutually exclusive. They provided two 
tracks for i ntegration into the global economy. WTO accession was used as an external anchor for 
internal reform.  
21. For Serbia  and Bosnia and Herzegovina , WTO accession was a pre -requisite for EU accession. 
Serbia noted that accession to the WTO and the EU were mutually supportive and that accession 
challenges remained  purely internal. Bosnia and Herzegovina noted that convincing WTO Members 
about the prio rity of EU accession was challenging. Sometimes, geopolitics negatively affected the 
WTO accession process. Timor -Leste  underlined the need to align ASEAN integration efforts with 
WTO accession.  
22. Armenia , Belarus , Kazakhstan  and the Kyrgyz Republic  pursued  integration within the 
Eurasian Economic  Union (EAEU), which also includes the Russian Federation. Kazakhstan described 
the complexities associated with pursuing accession negotiations during the creation of a customs 
union with Belarus and the Russian Fe deration, which later became the EAEU. Belarus, as an 
acceding government, noted that exemptions from the EAEU rules as part of its WTO accession 
package would not be beneficial to any of the parties concerned, i.e., Belarus, the EAEU and the 
WTO.   
23. China  highlighted the importance of the discussion on RTAs, MTS and WTO accession. On the 
one hand, RTA negotiations  provided capacity building for acceding governments. On the other hand, 
the rules of the MTS provided a basis for RTA negotiations. The European Union  viewed the accession 
process from a domestic reform perspective, which would lead to the creation of a market economy 
based on competition.  
PREPARATION FOR THE 12TH WTO MINISTERIAL CONFEREN CE (SESSION 5)  
24. This session provided an overview of the state of play in preparations for the 12th Ministerial 
Conference  (MC12) and focused on how acceding governments could best prepare for Nur -Sultan.  
25. Kazakhstan , as the host of MC12, reported on the status of logistical preparations and on the 
scope for substantive  outcomes at MC12 based on the state of play in ongoing work among WTO 
Members.  
26. Belarus , as coordinator of the Informal Group of Acceding Governments (IGAG), provided 
information on the activities of this Group. The IGAG sought to promote the inter ests of acceding 
governments. The IGAG would meet at the level of capital -based officials on 6 December in Moscow 
to continue discussions. Members were invited to voice their support for accession outcomes at 
MC12.  
27. Panama , as coordinator of the Group of A rticle XII Members, provided practical advice to 
acceding governments  on how to approach preparations for MC12, e.g., by exchanging information 
with delegations informally, making use of small groups formats, and collaborating with the Group 
of Article XII  Members. Acceding governments were advised to follow developments in the 
JI discussions and to make their views known.   
28. Afghanistan  (coordinator, g7+ WTO Accessions Group) discussed: (i) lessons learnt from 
Afghanistan's WTO accession; (ii) the role of th e g7+ WTO Accessions Group; and (iii) ideas to be 
considered by acceding governments for MC12. Concerning the latter, acceding governments could 
use MC12 to convey messages  to WTO Members , e.g., better tailoring of accession negotiations to 
the specific ne eds of acceding governments; and providing more effective frameworks for supporting 
accessions. MC12 also presented an opportunity to convey messages promoting the case for WTO 
membership to the Ministers of acceding governments. Acceding governments were invited to join 
the Ministerial -level meetings of  the Landlocked Developing Countries Group and the g7+ WTO 
Accessions Group, which were envisaged on the margins of MC12.  WT/ACC/35 • WT/GC/20 4 • WT/MIN(20)/1  
 
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29. The importance of following developments in the JI discussions was highlighted by several 
panellists, particularly  as the ideas explored in these frameworks may eventually be presented in 
accession negotiations. It was noted that there were difficulties to access  all relevant documents in 
the area of E -commerce.  
CLOSING REMARKS  
30. The Moscow Round Table was jointly closed by Ambassador Zhang, Permanent Representative 
of China to the WTO; Ms Ekaterina Mayorova, Director, Department for Trade Negotiations, Mini stry 
of Economic Development, Russian Federation; and Ms Maika Oshikawa, Director, Accessions 
Division, WTO. As the Chairperson, Ms Ekaterina Mayorova presented a short report on the outcome 
of the Round Table.  
31. Taking note of the discussions during the Ro und Table, the Chairperson made the following 
summary points:  
• The Round Table acknowledged the net positive contributions to the MTS of the 36 concluded 
accessions since the establishment of the WTO in 1995. The results of accession negotiations 
could prov ide possible direction and inspiration for the ongoing debate on WTO Reform, inter 
alia in the areas of  transparency; domestic support; and the use of targeted flexibilities in 
response to specific development needs. The fundamental aim is to jointly make the WTO 
more responsive to the evolving needs and challenges of the global economy.  
 
• The Round Table welcomed the increased level of activities in the Joint Initiatives by WTO 
Members and also by some acceding governments. As WTO Members are currently eng aging 
in various formats, including in the Joint Initiatives and in plurilateral formats, it is important 
that acceding governments get full access to these discussions and to relevant documents.  
 
• The Round Table welcomed the progress to date and urged ac celeration of the ongoing 
22 accessions, while acknowledging the various challenges faced by each acceding 
government. In particular, Round Table participants encouraged further progress in the 
accessions of Belarus, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Comoros, to wards their finalisation in 
2020, including as possible deliverables for the upcoming MC12 . They also acknowledged 
the on -going activation and re -activation efforts by several acceding governments - including 
Azerbaijan, Equatorial Guinea, Ethiopia, Iraq, Lebanon, Serbia, Somalia, South Sudan, 
Sudan, Timor -Leste and Uzbekistan - which aim to hold their respective Working Party 
meetings in 2020 . 
       
• The Round Table stressed the importance of synergies and coherence in the parallel 
processes of regional in tegration and WTO accession, in support of the foreign policy goals 
and economic reform agenda of acceding governments. In this context, additional efforts 
would be required for regional integration initiatives not to undermine multilateral trade 
cooperati on. It was suggested that WTO Reform  discussions may eventually focus on 
assessing the balance between regional integration and the MTS, especially in light of the 
non-discrimination principle. The Round Table also acknowledged th at regional integration 
efforts have systemic implications for WTO accessions, and vice versa. Taking into account 
the growing role of regional integration, issues related to the participation of regional 
integration entities in WTO work and to the relationship between the WTO and regional 
arrangements should be further explored.  
 
• All participating governments expressed  a sense of responsibility for the multilateral trading 
system, while acknowledging that it is currently facing severe threats from unilateralism and 
protectionism . In this context, the Round Table welcomed the preparatory efforts towards 
MC12 by WTO Members, including by Kazakhstan as host of the Conference.  Participants 
stressed the importance of deliverables at MC12 to sustain the credibility of the MTS . 
In particular, they called for deliverables on, inter alia,  disciplines on fisheries subsidies;  
improving the functioning of the dispute settlement system; improvements in the functioning 
of the WTO's regular bodies; improvements in transparency disciplines; disciplines on 
industrial subsidies; the Joint Initiatives on E -Commerce, Investment Facilit ation for 
Development  and MSMEs; the extension of the Moratorium on Customs Duties on Electronic 
Transmissions; and accessions.   WT/ACC/35 • WT/GC/20 4 • WT/MIN(20)/1  
 
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32. Round Table participants expressed appreciation to the Government of the Russian Federation 
for hosting the Round Table, and f or the excellent arrangements and generous hospitality.   
33. Round Table participants expressed appreciation to the Government of China, through the 
China Programme, in assisting acceding governments in joining the Organization. It was noted that 
the annual C hina Round Table provided a valuable platform for acceding governments, especially 
LDCs, to exchange accession experience and advance the accession negotiations.  
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  WT/ACC/35 • WT/GC/20 4 • WT/MIN(20)/1  
 
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ANNEX  
PROGRAMME OF THE ROUND TABLE  
Wednesday, 4 December 2019  
09:00 – 09:30  Registration  
09:30 – 10:00  High -level opening session  
 
Moderator: Ms Maika Oshikawa, Director, Accessions Division, WTO  
 
Opening remarks:  
• Mr Maxim Oreshkin, Minister of Economic Development, Russian Federation;  
• Mr Alan Wm. Wolff, Deputy Director -General, WTO;  
• Mr Zhang Xiangchen, Ambassador, Permanent Representative of China to the 
WTO.  
10:00 – 10:10  Group photograph  
10:10 – 11:40  Session 1: Accessions and WTO Reform  
 
Moderator:  Mr Maxim Medvedkov , Professor, Higher School of Economics; Advisor, WTO 
Expertise Center, Moscow, Russian Federation  
 
Keynote speaker:  Mr Alan Wm. Wolff, Deputy Director -General, WTO  
 
Panellists:  
• Mr Fu Xingguo, Deputy Director General, Department of WTO Affairs, Ministry of  
Commerce, China;  
• Mr Paolo Garzotti, Deputy Permanent Representative of the European Union to the 
WTO;  
• Mr Mark Linscott, Consultant, Atlantic Council, Asia Group; former Assistant United 
States Trade Representative for WTO and Multilateral Affairs;  
• Mr Alfr edo Suescum, Ambassador, Permanent Representative of Panama to the 
WTO, Coordinator of the Article XII Members Group.  
 
Followed by open discussion  
12:00 – 13:30  Session 2: Joint Initiatives and WTO Accessions  
 
Moderator:  Mr Rajesh Aggarwal, Chief, Trade Facilitation and Policy for Business, ITC  
 
Panellists:  
• Mr Katsuro Nagai, Deputy Permanent Representative of Japan to the WTO; Co -
convener of the Joint Statement Initiative on E -Commerce;  
• Mr Eduardo Galvez Carvallo, Ambassa dor, Permanent Representative of Chile to 
the WTO; Coordinator of the Structured Discussions on Investment Facilitation for 
Development;  
• Mr José Luís Cancela Gomez, Ambassador, Permanent Representative of Uruguay 
to the WTO; Coordinator of the Informal Gro up on Micro, Small and Medium -Sized 
Enterprises (MSMEs).  
 
Commentators:  
• Mr Zavqi Zavqizoda, First Deputy Minister of Economic Development and Trade, 
Tajikistan;  
• Ms Ekaterina Mayorova, Director, Department for Trade Negotiations, Ministry of 
Economic Devel opment, Russian Federation.  
 
Followed by open discussion  
14:30 – 17:30  Session 3: WTO Accessions – State of Play  
 
Moderator:  Ms Maika Oshikawa, Director, Accessions Division, WTO  
• Presentation:  "Overview of WTO accessions – State of Play"  
Panellists:  
• Mr Hamdo Tinjak, Chief Negotiator for WTO Accession, Secretary, Ministry of 
Foreign Trade and Economic Relations, Bosnia and Herzegovina;  WT/ACC/35 • WT/GC/20 4 • WT/MIN(20)/1  
 
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• Mr Vladimir Serpikov, Ambassador -at-Large, Chief Negotiator for WTO Accession, 
Directorate General for Foreign Economic Activities, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, 
Belarus.  
 
Commentators:  
• Mr Atanas Paparizov, Ambassador, Permanent Representative of Bulgaria to the 
WTO; Chairperson of the Working Party on the Accession of Bosnia and 
Herzegovina;  
• Mr Luis Enrique Chávez Basagoitia, Director -General for Europe, Ministry of 
External Relations, Peru; Chairperson of the Working Party on the Accession of 
the Comoros.  
 
Tour de table:  
 
Acceding governments:  
• Mr Shovqi Me hdizade, Counsellor, Embassy of Azerbaijan in the Russian 
Federation;  
• Mr Penday Dorji, Senior Trade Officer, Ministry of Economic Affairs, Bhutan;  
• Mr Mamo Mihretu, Senior Advisor to the Prime Minister, Ethiopia;  
• Mr Aziz Mansouri, Director, Division of Inte rnational and Multilateral Financial and 
Trade Organizations, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Iran;  
• Mr Abdulrahman Hamid Mohammed Al -Hussaini, Ambassador in the Russian 
Federation, Iraq;  
• Ms Olivera Jocić, Acting Assistant Minister, Ministry of Trade, Tourism and 
Telecommunications, Serbia;  
• Mr Yasin Eisa Mohamed Abdalla, Secretary General, National Secretariat for WTO 
Affairs, Ministry of Industry and Trade, Sudan;  
• Mr Marcio Rosa Lay, National Director for External Commerce, Ministry of 
Commerce, Tourism and In dustry, Timor -Leste;  
• Mr Badriddin Abidov, Deputy Minister of Investments and Foreign Trade, 
Uzbekistan.  
 
Expressions of interest:  
• Mr Caryl Monte, Chairman of the Permanent Commission on International Trade 
and Foreign Economic Relations, Curaçao;  
• Mr Ezizgeldi Annamuhammedov, Deputy Finance and Economy Minister, 
Turkmenistan.  
 
Followed by open discussion  
18:00 – 21:00  Cultural programme and Official dinner hosted by the Ministry of Economic 
Development the Russian Federation  
Thursday, 5 December 2019  
09:30 – 13:30  Session 4: Regional Integration and WTO Accessions  
 
Moderators:  Mr Alan Wm. Wolff, Deputy Director -General, WTO / Ms Maika Oshikawa, 
Director, Accessions Division, WTO  
 
Panellists:  
• African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA):  
o Mr Mamo Mihretu, Senior Advisor to the Prime Minister, Ethiopia;  
• EU Accession:  
o Mr Hamdo Tinjak, Chief Negotiator for WTO Accession, Secretary, 
Ministry of Foreign Trade and Economic Relations, Bosnia and 
Herzegovina;  
o Ms Olivera Jocić, Chief Negotiator for WTO Accession; Acting Assistant 
Minister, Ministry of Trade, Tourism and Telecommunications, Serbia  
 
• ASEAN Accession:  WT/ACC/35 • WT/GC/20 4 • WT/MIN(20)/1  
 
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o Ms Maria Angela Freitas Da Silva, Economic Advisor, Ministry for 
Economic Affairs;  
• Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU):  
o Mr Vahagn  Ghazaryan, Deputy Head, Department for Trade Policy, 
Eurasian Economic Commission;  
o Mr Eldar Alisherov, Deputy Minister of Economy, Kyrgyz Republic;  
o Mr Avetis Hovhannisyan, Advisor to the Minister of Economy, Armenia;  
o Mr Gaziz Seitzhanov, Third secretary, Permanent Mission of Kazakhstan 
to the WTO;  
o Mr Vladimir Serpikov, Ambassador -at-Large; Chief Negotiator for WTO 
Accession, Directorate General for Foreign Economic Activities, Ministry 
of Foreign Affairs, Belarus.  
Commentators:  
• Mr Fu Xingguo, Deputy Direct or General, Department of WTO affairs, Ministry of 
Commerce, China;  
• Mr Paolo Garzotti, Deputy Permanent Representative of the European Union to the 
WTO;  
• Mr Mark Linscott, Consultant, Atlantic Council, Asia Group; former Assistant United 
States Trade Repres entative for WTO and Multilateral Affairs;  
• Ms Polina Tonkikh, Director General, WTO Expertise Center, Moscow.  
 
Followed by open discussion  
14:30 – 16:00  Session 5: Preparation for MC12  
 
Moderator:  Ms Maika Oshikawa, Director, Accessions Division, WTO  
 
Panellists:  
• Mr Dmitri Fomchenko, Deputy Permanent Representative of Belarus to the UNOG, 
Coordinator of the Informal Group of Acceding Governments (IGAG);  
• Mr Alfredo Suescum, Ambassador, Permanent Representative of Panama to the 
WTO, Coordin ator of the Article XII Members Group;  
• Mr Mohammad Qurban Haqjo, Ambassador, Permanent Representative of 
Afghanistan to the WTO, Coordinator of the g7+ WTO Accessions Group;  
• Mr Gaziz Seitzhanov, Third secretary, Permanent Mission of Kazakhstan to the 
WTO.  
 
Followed by open discussion  
16:30 – 17:00  Closing session  
 
Report on the Outcome of the Eighth China Round Table   
• Ms Ekaterina Mayorova, Director of Department for Trade Negotiations, Ministry 
of Economic Development of the Russian Federation;  
 
Closing Remarks  
• Mr Zhang Xiangchen, Ambassador, Permanent Representative of China to the 
WTO;  
• Ms Maika Oshikawa, Director, Accessions Division, WTO.  
Friday, 6 December 2019  
09:30 – 13:00  Meeting of WTO Acceding Governments  
14:00 – 17:00  Bilateral meetings  
 
 
__________  