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Russia WTO membership is in Georgia interests - president

On Wednesday, Georgia and Russia signed in Geneva a package of documents concerning Russia’s WTO accession

TBILISI, November 10 (Itar-Tass) — Russia’s accession to the World Trade Organisation “is in the interests of all, including in Georgia’s interests,” Georgian President Mikhail Saakashvili said on Thursday.

He said Georgian-Russian talks on Russia’s WTO bid had been “difficult but successful”. “It was very important for Georgia to protect its state interests in these negotiations with the Russian Federation, and achieve international monitoring of the internationally recognized Georgian borders. This task has been implemented, which is a big success of our diplomacy,” the president stressed.

“Naturally, WTO will not solve Georgia’s territorial and political issues, it is not the format of the World Trade Organisation, but within the framework of negotiations on these issues Georgia has achieved the most important thing – international monitoring of internationally recognized state borders of Georgia”.

On Wednesday, Georgia and Russia signed in Geneva a package of documents concerning Russia’s WTO accession.

Georgia’s chief negotiator at the talks with Russia, Deputy Foreign Minister Sergi Kapanadze, currently in Geneva, said “The first document is an inter-governmental agreement on customs administration and monitoring of goods trade on the internationally recognized state border”.

The second document says, “Switzerland will be the third, neutral party that a monitoring company will be subordinated to”, the Georgian deputy foreign minister said.

The third document, which was signed in Geneva, is related to the conditions for the work of a company, which monitors trade turnover between Georgia and Russia.

“The document has many important issues – neutrality of the company is mentioned, i.e. Georgian and Russian citizens will have no right to conduct monitoring,” Kapanadze said. In his words, “observers will be entitled to establish trade corridor for free goods movement.”