12.10.2011
Belarus to resume talks on WTO accession in 2011
MINSK, 12 October (BelTA) – Belarus intends to resume negotiations on joining the World Trade Organization this year, Deputy Foreign Minister of Belarus Alexander Guryanov stated at a seminar on 12 October to discuss the country’s foreign economic activity as part of the Customs Union.
The talks between Belarus and the WTO were slowed down in 2005. “We continue the process, polishing our legislation to meet the WTO requirements. We hope to resume the negotiations on the WTO accession this year,” Alexander Guryanov said.
According to the official, the negotiation process with the WTO has never stopped. The WTO accession negotiations involve a complex process of gradual preparation of various documents. In particular, now Belarus is busy revising its general report which shows the WTO members the changes taking place in the Belarusian legislation in part of the country’s foreign trade regulations. Belarus has involved experts from UNDP and Russia to make it right and submit to the WTO the documents necessary for a negotiation process. The new wording of the general report will be ready by November. With this in mind, Belarus believes it is time the negotiations on joining the World Trade Organization were resumed.
The Deputy Foreign Minister also indicated that many WTO members have sent positive signals on the need to continue the negotiating process. This is especially relevant at a time when Russia is moving towards the WTO, and Belarus, as Russia’s Customs Union partner, should not lag behind in this process.
A number of decisions on concerted efforts on the accession of countries to the WTO have been adopted within the framework of the Customs Union and the EurAsEC. “We work in unison, inform each other thus ensuring the progressive movement of the Customs Union towards the World Trade Organization,” said Alexander Guryanov. He recalled that there were plans to join the WTO prior to the establishment of the Customs Union. But this failed. “And now we are working to make sure that all three of the Customs Union member states would join the WTO,” he said. The Deputy Minister noted that the WTO and its mechanisms are not an end in itself. This is particularly important given that Belarus is an open economy and cooperates with more than 170 countries. “We must work according to the generally accepted rules, as 157 states are members of the WTO,” said Alexander Guryanov. By aiming to join the World Trade Organization (WTO), the countries of the Customs Union understand that when joining this organization, they must take measures to protect against competition from third countries, within reasonable limits. “I am not saying that we will completely remove it (the competition - BelTA’s note). We will work to maintain the highest level of protection, at the same time will push for more favorable terms with our future WTO partners,” said the Deputy Minister.
“Today we have a paradoxical situation when Russia, one of the world’s powerful economic players, and Belarus, a strategic player in terms of transit and trade in Europe, are not members of the WTO. There are political, technical and other problems for that. But for an organization like WTO, it should be very important to have such players among its members,” said the Deputy Foreign Minister of Belarus. Because today there are no economically developed countries that are not part of the WTO, he said.
The talks between Belarus and the WTO were slowed down in 2005. “We continue the process, polishing our legislation to meet the WTO requirements. We hope to resume the negotiations on the WTO accession this year,” Alexander Guryanov said.
According to the official, the negotiation process with the WTO has never stopped. The WTO accession negotiations involve a complex process of gradual preparation of various documents. In particular, now Belarus is busy revising its general report which shows the WTO members the changes taking place in the Belarusian legislation in part of the country’s foreign trade regulations. Belarus has involved experts from UNDP and Russia to make it right and submit to the WTO the documents necessary for a negotiation process. The new wording of the general report will be ready by November. With this in mind, Belarus believes it is time the negotiations on joining the World Trade Organization were resumed.
The Deputy Foreign Minister also indicated that many WTO members have sent positive signals on the need to continue the negotiating process. This is especially relevant at a time when Russia is moving towards the WTO, and Belarus, as Russia’s Customs Union partner, should not lag behind in this process.
A number of decisions on concerted efforts on the accession of countries to the WTO have been adopted within the framework of the Customs Union and the EurAsEC. “We work in unison, inform each other thus ensuring the progressive movement of the Customs Union towards the World Trade Organization,” said Alexander Guryanov. He recalled that there were plans to join the WTO prior to the establishment of the Customs Union. But this failed. “And now we are working to make sure that all three of the Customs Union member states would join the WTO,” he said. The Deputy Minister noted that the WTO and its mechanisms are not an end in itself. This is particularly important given that Belarus is an open economy and cooperates with more than 170 countries. “We must work according to the generally accepted rules, as 157 states are members of the WTO,” said Alexander Guryanov. By aiming to join the World Trade Organization (WTO), the countries of the Customs Union understand that when joining this organization, they must take measures to protect against competition from third countries, within reasonable limits. “I am not saying that we will completely remove it (the competition - BelTA’s note). We will work to maintain the highest level of protection, at the same time will push for more favorable terms with our future WTO partners,” said the Deputy Minister.
“Today we have a paradoxical situation when Russia, one of the world’s powerful economic players, and Belarus, a strategic player in terms of transit and trade in Europe, are not members of the WTO. There are political, technical and other problems for that. But for an organization like WTO, it should be very important to have such players among its members,” said the Deputy Foreign Minister of Belarus. Because today there are no economically developed countries that are not part of the WTO, he said.