Tajikistan granted WTO observer status

Tajikistan says it has been granted observer status at the World Trade Organisation.

The deputy minister of economy and trade Isroil Makhmudov said Tajikistan beat two other contenders, Iran and the Bahamas.

He said Tajikistan must now begin preparing for full WTO membership.

Tajikistan first applied to join in 1998.

So far Kyrgyzstan is the only Central Asian state to be granted full membership.

From the newsroom of the BBC World Service