ADDIS ABABA, Feb. 19 (Xinhua) -- Ethiopia's membership in the World Trade Organization (WTO) will "significantly" support the country's economic reform agenda, Ethiopian Minister of Trade and Regional Integration Kassahun Gofe has said.

After meeting with WTO Director-General Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala earlier this week in Addis Ababa, the Ethiopian capital, Gofe said in a statement issued Tuesday that the East African country is currently working to finalize its membership negotiations with the WTO within the coming year.

Since Ethiopia began its negotiations with the WTO as an observer in 2003, the country has so far held rounds of working group negotiations, during which more than 900 questions raised by member countries have been addressed, the minister said

Gofe disclosed the country's ambition to finalize its membership negotiations during the upcoming 14th Ministerial Council of the WTO, which is slated to take place in March next year.

"We believe that WTO membership will significantly support Ethiopia's indigenous economic reform agenda," said Gofe, adding that Ethiopia's current positive economic growth trajectory will help facilitate its membership in the WTO.

As part of its broader economic liberalization efforts, the Ethiopian government has introduced various measures to open previously state-dominated economic sectors to private investment.

Last month, the East African country launched its first stock exchange in over 50 years, heralding it as a "historic milestone" for the country's economy.

According to the World Bank, Ethiopia, with a population of about 126.5 million, is the second most populous country in Africa after Nigeria, and one of the fastest-growing economies in the region. Enditem

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