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Georgia Won’t Be at Russian WTO Talks
Georgia will not take part in the next round of negotiations on Russia’s accession to the World Trade Organization in Geneva June 16, Georgian Economic Minister Tamara Kovziridze has announced. Georgia broke off bilateral negotiations in April, demanding that Russia cease its measures of support for the breakaway republics of Abkhazia and South Ossetia and reverse its decision to develop economic ties with them. Russia is counting on wrapping up the WTO negotiation process this year.
In 2006, Georgia withdrew its signature from the protocol on the conclusion of bilateral negotiations and made new demands that the Russians claim are political in character and unrelated to the WTO.
At the end of May, it became known that Ukraine had filed an application to conduct bilateral negotiations with Russia, which could slow down Russia’s membership process. In spite of that, Ukrainian leaders have stated and continue to claim that they do not intend to hinder Russia’s entranced into the WTO. The WTO has over 150 member states. Its primary mission is to support world trade. Russia has been pursuing membership in it since the mid-1990s.
www.kommersant.com
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Photo: Sergey Mikheev
