CARTIF Chief Negotiators Advance First Round of Negotiations

CAREC chief negotiators and focal points met online on 19 October 2026 for the first round of negotiations on the CAREC Trade and Investment Facilitation Partnership (CARTIF) Agreement. Zulfia Karimova, Principal Regional Cooperation Specialist at CWRC, opened the meeting by reviewing progress and outlining next steps. 

Participating countries finalized all three early-harvest protocols: Services Domestic Regulation, Investment Facilitation, and Supply Chain Connectivity. 

The Chief Negotiators will meet in person in Manila, Philippines, on 6 November 2026. They are expected to endorse the Framework Agreement and early-harvest protocols, adopt the thematic working groups’ outcomes, and address outstanding issues. 

The Working Group on Trade in Services-Related Cooperation continued work on Protocol IV on 20 and 27 October. Members confirmed agreed articles and discussed unresolved technical and substantive issues. They plan to reconvene by the end of October to finalize the remaining provisions.