Customs union could resume WTO talks in October - top negotiator
Talks on Russia, Belarus and Kazakhstan, partners in a yet-to-be-formed three-nation customs union, joining the World Trade Organization could resume in October, the Kremlin's WTO point man said Friday.
"The talks on joining are supposed to be resumed in October this year," Maxim Medvedkov, the director of the Russian Economic Development Ministry's trade talks department, said.
Russia, Belarus and Kazakhstan agreed in early June to form a customs bloc and seek joint accession to the WTO.
Consultations on a joint delegation applying for WTO entry were held in Moscow September 2-3.
Russia is the world's only major economy still outside the WTO. Consent from all 153 WTO members is necessary for a state to join the organization.
To date, Russia has completed mandatory bilateral negotiations with 60 countries, but has yet to synchronize positions on several issues, including agriculture, export duties for timber, and regulation of some state-controlled companies.
