Russia WTO accession working group to continue consultations

GENEVA, October 25 (Itar-Tass) -- A next round of informal
consultations of the working group on Russia's accession in the World
Trade Organization (WTO) will begin here on Monday.
The consultations will highlight "the debates on the consolidated list
of Russia's obligations on the access to the market of services," director
of the trade talks department of the Russian Economic Development Ministry
Maxim Medvedkov, who heads the Russian delegation at the WTO talks, told
Itar-Tass. This list "summarizes the results of Russia's negotiations with
26 WTO states" for the last few years, he noted.
Alongside, at informal consultations the WTO states will consider
Russia's proposals "on changing about ten sections of a report of the
working group." At the previous Geneva negotiations in September 2010 five
sections have already been discussed. Some changes in the earlier
coordinated report of the working group, which brings together 62 WTO
states, were needed due to some changes in the regulatory base in light of
the creation of the Customs Union. A final document on Russia's accession
to the WTO will be based on a report of the working group. Russia's
accession process to the WTO is dragging out already for 17 years.
"At multilateral consultations on agriculture we will keep giving
explanations to our partners on Russia's current position on support to
the agro-industrial complex," Medvedkov noted.
In the previous month Russian Agriculture Minister Yelena Skrynnik met
in Geneva with representatives of the Cairns Group, which brings together
19 countries with a major share of agrarian export, as well as with the
delegation from the United States. Skrynnik put forward Russia's position
that "sets the country's obligations on the financial support at nine
billion dollars starting from the accession date" to the WTO and a gradual
decline in the financial state support starting from 2013. Annual state
subsidies are to be brought down to 4.4 billion dollars by 2017. The WTO
states concerned have discussed Russia's position for a month, and now
they have an opportunity to ask all the questions in this respect.
"We will also have several bilateral meetings on separate accession
issues mainly of technical nature," Medvedkov said, referring to 10-15
countries. The Russian delegation is to work in Geneva until Friday,
October 29.