Russia could join the World Trade Organization in 2011, the country's chief WTO negotiator Maxim Medvedkov said Thursday. "Probably next year. We will do everything possible," he told journalists, adding that talks on Russia's accession with EU members could be completed by the end of 2010. Medvedkov said the procedure takes three to four months once the negotiating process has been completed. U.S. President Barack Obama reaffirmed on Thursday the United States' support of Russia's bid to join the global trade body. "I reaffirm our strong commitment to Russia's ascension to the World Trade Organization," Obama said during a joint news conference with Russian President Dmitry Medvedev in Washington.
Medvedev said he hoped talks on Russia's accession to the WTO would be concluded by September. Russia has been in negotiations for WTO membership for over 16 years and is the only major economy outside of the global trade body. Medvedev has admitted Russia still has problems with intellectual property rights protection, a major impediment to WTO accession, but says tackling this issue is a priority for the Russian government. In June 2009, Russia, Kazakhstan and Belarus notified the WTO of their intention to join the world trade club as a customs union. Four months later, the three former Soviet republics announced they would resume talks on WTO accession separately, but from synchronized positions.
