Global General

Differences remain with US on Russia's WTO entry

(Xinhua)
Updated: 2010-01-27 22:04

MOSCOW: Washington and Moscow remain at odds over Russia's entry into the World Trade Organization (WTO), Russian First Deputy Prime Minister Igor Shuvalov said on Wednesday.

"Our key disagreements with the United States still center on the known issues. The number of them (disagreements) has neither increased nor declined," Shuvalov was quoted by Interfax news agency as saying at a meeting with Prime Minister Vladimir Putin.

Russia is ready to offer certain resolutions to existing disputes, but the US partners have so far not met Russia's proposals, Shuvalov said.

The deputy premier also said the talks on Russia's WTO accession should be elevated to a top political level as negotiating experts from both sides have failed to reach consensus.

"They (experts) have exhausted all their resources. The talks, with a focus on finding compromises, should be raised to the level of the political leadership," RIA Novosti news agency quoted him as saying.

Russia, which has been seeking WTO membership for more than 16 years, is the largest world economy remaining outside the global trade watchdog.

In June 2009, Russia, Kazakhstan and Belarus informed the WTO about their intention to join the organization as a customs union. The three former Soviet republics announced last October they would resume talks on WTO accession separately, but on synchronized positions.