In an interview with China's CGTN news channel, President Ilham Aliyev highlighted the reasons why Azerbaijan is still not a member of the World Trade Organization.

Axar.az reports that the head of state said that although we have been in an active phase of negotiations for many years, the reason why this process did not come to its logical conclusion is exactly due to protectionism, double standards, and tariffs, which disrupt the core values of the World Trade Organization.

“Azerbaijan's economy is self-sufficient. At the same time, we will see if all our proposals with respect to accession - whether on the bilateral track with countries’ negotiation process or with the organization in general - if they are met, then I think the process will go more smoothly,” President Ilham Aliyev emphasized.