MOSCOW, 15 October 2007 — Russia expects to complete talks on its accession to the World Trade Organization (WTO) with Saudi Arabia by the end of October, Maxim Medvedkov, head of the Economic Development and Trade Ministry’s trade negotiations department, said at a news conference on Friday, Prime-TASS news agency reported.
Medvedkov also said that Russia would also hold WTO talks with Georgia in the Swiss city of Geneva on Oct. 19.
Commenting on Russia’s accession prospects, he said that Russia still hoped to complete all WTO talks by the end of this year. “The schedule still allows us (to complete WTO talks) but such forecasts are sometimes not met due to various reasons,” Medvedkov said. “We’re in the middle of the tunnel at the end of which light is already visible,” he said. “We feel that we’ll soon get there but the last kilometers and meters are the most difficult.” Former economic development and trade minister German Gref said in September that Russia was expected to complete WTO talks by the end of this year and join the organization after 2007.
Russia has signed WTO protocols with all WTO members that wished to hold bilateral talks with it, excluding Georgia and Saudi Arabia.