Alexander Lukashenko instructed to significantly intensify the negotiation process on the accession of Belarus to the WTO.
This was reported today, March 29, following the meeting on cooperation with the world trade organization, Prime Minister Andrei Kobyakov, BelTA reports.
“The President has essentially given consent to this process by the Belarusian side was markedly intensified,” he said.
“Today the President addressed the question of how we will complete the accession to the WTO. The President has agreed in principle to this process was visibly increased, first of all, the Belarusian side… We hope that in the near future our partners (negotiations on accession to the WTO – ed.) will form their proposals on the terms they see the accession of Belarus to the WTO, so we made a schedule of the negotiation process”, — says Andrei Kobyakov, RIA Novosti.
At the meeting, the President’s rhetoric was cautious.
He stressed that “accession to the WTO should not become an end in itself”. According to the President, “respect for national conditions in the negotiations (accession – ed.) is a key principle”.
“Yesterday we were told that would not like to see us (to the WTO – ed.) and today is actively pushing… I always, when our opponents are pushing for some things, think about it, what could it be,” continued the President.
He appealed to the government to decide whether Belarusian producers to operate under WTO conditions without most of the non-tariff regulation and state support. He suggested to think about what you need to take to protect economic interests of Belarus in case of accession.
“Two powerful Union formed in the West and the East, the Atlantic and Pacific. What remains for the WTO in this world? Some of my colleagues in the narrow circle they say that the WTO itself has basically run its course,” he said.
He also reminded that the allies of Belarus, Russia and Kazakhstan, are members of the WTO, it has to consider and Minsk.
