Tajikistan to cut tariffs on 4 Thai products in bid to join WTO

Srirat Rastapana, director-general to the Trade Negotiations Department, said that in its attempt to join WTO, Tajikistan had decided to lower its import tariff for several products, which would benefit Thai exports greatly.
The four key products that Thailand will gain greater market access to in Tajikistan include cooking equipment, refrigerators, ovens and water heaters.
Srirat said Tajikistan would slowly cut the tariff |on these products to 5 per cent for trade with Thailand, and had also agreed to negotiate with other trading partners.
Tajikistan applied for WTO membership in May 2001, but the lengthy process has not been completed yet because it requires agreements to be concluded with various member states. Tajikistan needs to reduce its import tariffs with other members in order to get support |and ratification for joining WTO.
If accepted, Tajikistan will become the 156th WTO member. The country is already a member of Commonwealth of Independent States, which includes its neighbours, Kyrgyzstan and China.
Bilateral trade between Thailand and Tajikistan is still low, worth an estimated US$1.62 million (Bt50.9 million) last year. Thailand had a trade surplus with the country as exports last year were valued at $1.51 million. Thailand’s major exports to the country include refrigerators, freezers, printers and printing products, and microwave ovens.