Russia is expected to complete negotiations on its accession to the World Trade Organization (WTO) this summer and become a full member in 2009, Russia's RIA news agency reported Tuesday.
"We will complete talks by the summer of 2008 if no other states signal the necessity to hold additional negotiations," RIA quoted Alexei Portansky, director of the Information Bureau on Russia's Accession to the WTO, as saying.
"If nothing unexpected happens, Russia will be a WTO member from January 2009," said Portansky.
Russia, which has been seeking membership of the WTO since 1993,has so far concluded bilateral talks with more than 60 WTO members. However, it still needs to complete talks with Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Georgia.
Tbilisi earlier vetoed Russia's entry to the world's largest trade body. Relations between the two states have been strained since President Mikhail Saakashvili came to power in Georgia in 2004.
The South Caucasus republic said that it will cease to block Russia's WTO bid only after Moscow fulfills its 2004 commitment to close down its border checkpoints with Georgia's breakaway regionsof Abkhazia and South Ossetia.
The two breakaway republics recently appealed to Moscow for recognition of their sovereignty following Kosovo's unilateral declaration of independence on Feb. 17.
Talking about Georgia, Portansky expressed hope that "the two sides could agree on these issues (border checkpoints) in the near future."
Russia has already concluded bilateral WTO talks with both the United States and the European Union. Multilateral talks are currently underway on agricultural support, export duties and intellectual piracy.
Source:Xinhua
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