Kazakhstan’s Government mulling support to domestic producers following the planned accession into the WTO

Kazakhstan’s Government will develop measures to support Kazakhstan-based businesses following the planned accession into the WTO, Newskaz.ru reports, citing Vice PM Kairat Kelimbetov as saying March 27 at a government sitting. “The Ministries of Industry and New Technology, Oil and Gas, Agriculture along with the Ministry of Economic Development are to draft measures to support domestic enterprises”, he said. Late April Kazakhstan and Russia will harmonize their WTO tariff obligations, Mr. Kelimbetov said in a separate statement. “Russia has already entered the Organization; therefore, tariff harmonization carries certain benefits for Kazakhstan”, he said. “We should be part of the global economic community, we should be part of the WTO (…) However, we need to get the local business community ready and the legislation framework in place to make sure we benefit from the accession”, PM Karim Massimov said, adding that “we need a broader campaign to raise people’s awareness of the accession”. March 6 Tengrinews.kz reported that Kazakhstan had completed negotiations with Argentine and Saudi Arabia on entering WTO. Kazakhstan is at the final stage of the negotiations process to enter the WTO, Kazakhstan’s PM Karim Massimov said February 27 when speaking at the sitting of the Nur Otan fraction. He elaborated that the “Government is defending the most favorable conditions to develop the national economy following the accession with due consideration of all the obligations taken by Kazakhstan within the Customs Union of Kazakhstan, Russia and Belarus”. According to him, “the negotiations are to be completed by the end of the year”.