REGULAR ROUND OF TALKS ON RUSSIA JOINING WTO TO BE HELD NOV.24-25

The FINANCIAL
Nov 11 2008
Georgia

The FINANCIAL — According to RIA Novosti, the next round of talks
on Russia’s entry to the World Trade Organization will be held on
November 24-25, MOSCOW ‘s top WTO negotiator said on November 10.

"The working group will discuss a WTO entry report on November 24,"
Maxim Medvedkov said.

Russia started WTO accession talks in 1995. The latest round of talks
with the 153-member global trade organization collapsed in late July,
but Medvedkov said then that the parties could still return to the
negotiating table later this year.

Medvedkov also said the absence of diplomatic relations with Georgia
would not pose an obstacle for Russia’s entry into the World Trade
Organization.

"There are a lot of countries in the world that do not maintain
diplomatic relations. For example, this concerns the United States
and Cuba, Armenia and Turkey, and many other countries. Therefore,
the absence of bilateral relations, in principle, does not affect
membership," Medvedkov said.

Georgia, which became a WTO member in 2000, broke off diplomatic
relations with Russia after MOSCOW recognized the independence of
its breakaway republics of South Ossetia and Abkhazia on August 26,
two weeks after the end of a five-day war.

Russia is the only major world economy still outside the WTO. The
agreement of all 153 WTO members is necessary for a state to join
the global trade body.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress