MOSCOW, September 4 (RIA Novosti) - Russia will join the World Trade Organization (WTO) only on favorable economic conditions, a senior Russian diplomat said.
"I would like to emphasize that joining the WTO is not an end in itself for Russia and we are not concerned about the deadlines," Alexander Yakovenko, Russia's deputy foreign minister, said in an interview whose transcript has been posted on the foreign ministry's Web site. "We will join this organization when the coordinated conditions of our membership fully meet the interests of strengthening Russia's economy."
The deputy foreign minister added that the bilateral and multilateral talks on Russia's accession to the WTO had intensified recently. At present, Russia has concluded negotiations and signed respective agreements with 19 WTO members on their access to the Russian product market, and with 13 WTO members on their access to the Russian services market. The working group on Russia's accession to the WTO is currently preparing the final report that establishes Russia's obligations in the scope of all WTO agreements.
"It is not a secret, though, that the moist complex problems remain unsolved and it will be difficult to reach an agreement on these issues," Yakovenko said referring to import duties in such sensitive for Russia branches of economy as the airspace and car-manufacturing industries, the access of foreign banks and insurance companies to the Russian financial market, and the state subsidies in agriculture.
Other controversial issues include customs regulations, veterinary controls, protection of intellectual property, and regulations of the pharmaceutical market.
"Unfortunately, certain WTO members continue to put forward the demands that exceed the standard accession requirements (the so-called WTO-plus requirements)," the Russian diplomat said. "They include such sensitive issues as the regulation of prices on fuel-carriers, export duties, and the activities of companies partially owned by the state."
