Officials say Ethiopia’s decisive fifth working party meeting with the WTO – scheduled by March or April 2024 – marks a critical moment in the country’s struggling bid to join the global trade body. - Advertisement -Ethiopia first applied back in 2003 but has only managed four working group sessions with WTO members so far. WTO members, according to Tages Mulugeta, International and Regional Trade Integration acting lead executive at the Trade Ministry, barraged Ethiopian officials with questions. The WTO team agreed on a roadmap for the resumption of the talks, and work to start immediately, according to a social media post by Maika Oshikawa, director of Accession Division at the WTO. To date, detailed discussions on Ethiopia’s service sector offer have been put off till the next working group meeting, officials say.

Source: Ethiopian News August 05, 2023 07:23 UTC