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PRESS/116
27 October 1998
WTO Director-General meets Russia's Trade Minister to review WTO accession
World
Trade Organization Director General Renato Ruggiero met Tuesday with Russian Trade
Minister Georgi V. Gabounia to review the negotiations for Russia's accession to the WTO.
Following the meeting, Mr. Ruggiero welcomed the news that Russia's accession process
remains on track. The next meeting of the Working Party on Russian accession is to be held
in December as envisaged. Mr. Ruggiero said he was pleased to learn from Mr. Gabounia that
the matter of the Russian accession to the WTO continued to be handled at the highest
government levels in Moscow, including through the inter-agency Ministerial Committee
charged with the responsibility of coordinating Russia's negotiating efforts.
The Minister informed Mr. Ruggiero on recent developments in Russia including the status of pending trade legislation. The Minister said that despite the difficult decisions facing the government in the coming months, the medium and long-term objective of the Russian government is to ensure the liberalization of its trade regime.