TUR22-1

At the request of Turkey, we will conduct a workshop focusing on telecommunication services, for the benefit of government officials from telecom/ICT agencies and from the trade ministry. Specific and specialized knowledge will be provided to help Turkey in the implementation of its obligations under the GATS (e.g., Reference Paper, Telecom Annex) and in trade negotiations. The event will take place over two afternoons, on October 20 and 21, and will touch on the following topics: - general obligations of the GATS applying to telecoms and history of reforms in WTO extended negotiations (1995-97); - telecom regulation and the GATS (details of the Reference Paper and Telecom Annex); - Telecom services in RTAs; - Telecom services in ongoing WTO negotiations (JSI); - GATS telecom commitments and their implementation. The workshop will also provide an opportunity to respond to the specific questions sent in advance of the event by Turkish officials.