Working group on Russian entry into WTO approves Customs Union guarantees

Another two-day round of informal consultations started in Geneva on Tuesday; Kazinform has learnt from Itar-Tass.

"Today we discussed the updated report section "Legal Framework for Decision Making"," he said. "The section describes the legal framework of Russia and the Customs Union and gives an answer to the key question how Russia's prospective legal obligations to the WTO would correspond to the Russian obligations within the Customs Union."

The WTO member states "agreed with the legal concept and the legal guarantees the Customs Union states [Russia, Belarus and Kazakhstan] give to the WTO. This is necessary not only for the accession of Russia but also for the accession of Kazakhstan and Belarus, which will use an identical mechanism," Medvedkov said.

Amendments to the already coordinated report of the working group, which unites 62 countries, resulted from the formation of the Customs Union and related regulations. The working group report will be a foundation of the final document on the Russian accession to the WTO together with the commitments related to goods, services and agriculture.

The working group also discussed prospects for the completion of the Russian accession process, Medvedkov said. "The working group chairman set the goal of ending the negotiations before the end of 2011," he said.

Russia is due to make proposals concerning six sections of the working group report by the end of June. WTO member countries will study the proposals for three weeks and may approve them at the next meeting of the working group in the end of July.

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