DAVOS (Switzerland), January 26 (RIA Novosti) - Russia and the United States have still not agreed on the terms of Russia's accession to the World Trade Organization (WTO) during their bilateral negotiations, the Russian economy and trade minister said Thursday.
German Gref met with U.S. Trade Representative Rob Portman on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum currently held in Davos, Switzerland.
"The main question that remains on the agenda is financial services," Gref said.
The United States has insisted that American banks and insurance companies be given access to the Russian financial services market as a condition for Russia's WTO membership. Russia said access to its financial services would create unequal competitive conditions for Russian and other foreign companies currently operating in the country.
"Negotiations were intense and we went over all the key issues once again," Gref said.
According to the minister, the sides agreed to hold three meetings. The first one will be held in Moscow in February during the summit of the Group of Eight industrialized nations in which Russia holds the rotating presidency for 2006. Also in February, Russia's delegation, headed by top WTO negotiator Maksim Medvedkov, will hold a round of talks in the United States.
"I think the talks in the U.S. will put an end to the majority of disputable issues," Gref said. "Then we will meet [with Portman] and hopefully sign the [bilateral] protocol."
In a bid to join the WTO, Russia has to secure bilateral agreements and sign protocols with all the members of the organization. Russia has already completed accession talks with 52 of the 58 WTO member countries. Negotiations are still ongoing with the United States, Australia, Colombia, Switzerland, India and Uruguay.
Gref said earlier that Russia hoped to join the WTO before the end of 2006.
