Aliabadi made the remarks on the sidelines of the WTO's 13th Ministerial Conference (MC13), which takes place from February 26 to 29 in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. Some 175 delegations are attending the WTO meeting.
The Iranian minister expressed gratitude to Uzbekistan for its efforts during the country’s presiding of the unofficial group of the WTO, noting that Tashkent’s commitment to facilitating dialogue and cooperation among states waiting for accession to the WTO is appreciated.
He further referred to a statement of the unofficial group as a sign of serious commitment of the states to respecting principles of the multilateral trade system, adding that the Islamic Republic of Iran supports the statement.
On Monday, the Iranian minister met with trade ministers from the UAE, China, Serbia, Ivory Coast, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Nepal, Qatar, Iraq, Oman and Lebanon.
In the Monday meeting, Deputy-Director General of WTO Zhang Xiangchen said that those countries, who became member states of the WTO, showed that political support and proper efforts helped them join the organization, which is a win-win situation.
IRNA