Baku State University, Faculty of Law, Department of Public International Law,
Master student of the specialization “International Economic Law” Second-year student
E-mail: [email protected]
UDC 341.9:341.176:339.5
ARTICLE XX OF GATT: A LEGAL COMPROMISE BETWEEN
FREE TRADE AND SOVEREIGN INTERESTS
The General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) 1994 establishes a free trade regime for all WTO Members and is based on fundamental principles such as MFN, national treatment, and the prohibition of the discriminatory application of quantitative restrictions [1, p. 82]. However, it is recognized that these liberalization rules may sometimes conflict with social and economic values such as public morals, health, the environment, national security, and economic development. Therefore, Article XX of the GATT provides a legal framework to resolve these conflicts through general exceptions [5].