Kazakhstan is negotiating free trade with the UAE

On March 6, the first round of negotiations on the creation of a free trade zone between the EAEU member states and the United Arab Emirates started in Dubai (UAE).

The Republic of Kazakhstan is represented in the EAEU negotiating team by experts from the Ministries of Trade and Integration, Foreign Affairs and Justice. The parties are discussing the content of the chapters of the future agreement, which will create conditions for duty-free and barrier-free trade between the parties. Among them are Trade in goods, Dispute resolution, Protective measures, Technical, sanitary and phytosanitary regulation, etc.

Today, trade between Kazakhstan and the UAE is actively developing and by the end of 2022 amounted to 632.6 million US dollars. Of these, exports from Kazakhstan – 560 million US dollars, imports from the UAE - 72.3 million US dollars. At the same time, the key element of the future agreement is the elimination of customs duties in mutual trade on a wide list of goods, which, ultimately, will increase the volume of mutual trade.

"The United Arab Emirates is an important trading partner for the Republic of Kazakhstan and we see a significant potential for increasing our mutual trade. Our negotiating team is directly involved in the negotiations and informs that already at the first round the parties have begun to actively discuss almost the entire text of the agreement," said Vice Minister of Trade and Integration Janelle Kushukova. She also stressed that the further dynamics of the negotiation process depends on the willingness of the parties to make mutual concessions.

The first round of negotiations between the EAEU member states and the UAE will last until March 8, 2023.