The Georgian government has decided to resume bilateral talks on Russia’s accession to WTO that finished in May 2004

Tuesday, February 7, 2023

Sign-In | Sign-Up | Contact Us | Bookmark

The Georgian government has decided to resume bilateral talks on Russia’s accession to the World Trade Organization (WTO) that finished in May 2004. The Foreign Ministry said in its official statement released in Tbilisi on Friday that reasoning for such decision was “violation by the Russian side of provisions of the protocol on the completion of the bilateral talks between Georgia and Russia on the conditions of access of Russia to the market within the WTO framework envisages support by the Georgian side of Russia’s membership of this organisations on conditions of full harmonization of its foreign trade regime with the provisions of the WTO.” The Foreign Ministry cited as another reason the “sharp worsening of Russia’s foreign trade regime towards exports from Georgia, which is expressed as the introduction of ungrounded and discriminating measures towards the export from Georgia.” Besides, “the Russian side has violated obligations on customs regulation of the movement of goods between the two countries on the possibly rapid resolution of problems of an administrative character, whereby the consistency of Russia’s foreign trade regime with the requirements of the WTO was ensured,” the ministry said. The Georgian government proposes the talks soon on Russia’s access to markets within the framework of the WTO. The Ministry of Economic Development is to carry out the talks on the Georgian side. Foreign Minister Gela Bezhuashvili said on Friday that “Georgia supports Russia’s membership in the WTO, but, proceeding from the fact that there is no progress is the fulfillment of conditions of the agreement, the resumption of the negotiations between the countries is mandatory”. Minister of Economic Development Irakly Chogovadze also stressed that Georgia “unequivocally supports the membership of Russia in the WTO, with the provision of the fulfillment of the assumed obligations”

Bookmark The Georgian government has decided to resume bilateral talks on Russia’s accession to WTO that finished in May 2004