Russia admits reduced chances for WTO membership
Deputy Prime Minister Igor Shuvalyov says membership in the World Trade Organisation is in Russia’s interests and that government will do what it can to join the club. He admits though that there are no immediate possibilities for the country to enter the trade organisation.
Meanwhile, the Russian government states that Russia should abandon some of the commitments it made during WTO accession talks. The announcement is a first sign that an unraveling war of words between Russia and the West is likely to go beyond empty threats, the Moscow Times reports.
-We do not see or feel advantages from membership, if they exist at all. But we are carrying the burden, Putin said in a press release posted on the government web site.
In a meeting with journalists yesterday, Deputy PM Shuvalyov said that “we do not see any perspectives for membership over the next few months or the next year”, RIA Novosti reports.
Russia has negotiated for several years over joining the prestigious trade organisation. Meanwhile the country’s membership ticket still is in the air.
