MINSK – Belarus expects to complete bilateral negotiations on its accession to the World Trade Organization (WTO) in June and joint the organization in late 2020 – early 2021, state news agency BelTA quoted Belarus’ First Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Andrei Yeudachenka as telling reporters.
“Here we have a timeframe set by the prime minister [for accession to the WTO] – June 2020. However, since the working group has failed to hold meetings with the United States and Russia, the schedule may be delayed slightly,” the deputy minister said.
“Even if we do not join the WTO this summer, we are still planning to complete all bilateral negotiations by June of this year,” he said.
“Technically, WTO accession is possible four times a year, at any general session of the WTO Council. So we have time till the end of this year and the beginning of the next year,” the deputy minister said.
Yeudachenka added that the goal now is to complete all bilateral negotiations by June.
“If all technical negotiations are completed by the summer, then the sides have around a half-year to verify the text of the documents, obligations, each country will carefully review all the agreements reached. Thus, Belarus could join the WTO late this year or early in the following year,” he said.
Belarus has conducted a separate meeting with Russian partners on accession to the WTO.
“We are closely coordinating our positions with the Russians, so that after the accession we will not have a situation when Belarusian goods run into a border. The Russian market remains a priority for us, and we are joining the WTO in many ways on the same terms as Russia. So far, our documents practically do not depart from Russian obligations and have not violated the EAEU customs tariff,” Yeudachenka said.
Belarus intensified negotiations on WTO accession beginning in the spring of 2016. Earlier, Belarusian Prime Minister Sergei Rumas announced that Belarus intended to become a member of the organization in 2020.
