TASHKENT (Xinhua) — Uzbekistan has launched the official negotiation process to join the World Trade Organization (WTO) and submitted an updated memorandum on the foreign trade regime of the Central Asian country, the Uzbek Foreign Ministry said on Wednesday.

The document, which Uzbekistan prepared for the first time in 15 years, was handed over to Director-General of the WTO Roberto Azevedo by the permanent representative of Uzbekistan to the United Nations office and other international organizations in Geneva, said the ministry in a statement.

The ministry said that Azevedo assured that he will provide all necessary assistance to Uzbekistan in the process, including the holding of the next meeting of the working group on the accession to the WTO.

President of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev has been carrying out a series of economic reforms since he came to power in 2016 and joining the WTO is one of his political priorities