Russia and the United States signed November 19 a final protocol on bilateral terms, paving the way for Moscow's accession to the world trade club. The document was signed by Russia's Economic Development and Trade Minister German Gref and U.S. Trade Representative Susan Schwab at a summit of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) organization in Hanoi.
"Multilateral negotiations are the concluding stage of talks on Russia's entry into the WTO and we count on the assurances by U.S. President George Bush who stressed the intention to contribute in every possible way to their quickest conclusion," Sergei Lavrov said after a meeting between the Russian and U.S. presidents.
By signing the protocol with the United States, Russia has concluded all bilateral talks and removed the last major obstacle on its accession to the world's largest trade body.
