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Europe wants agt with RF to contain provisions beyond WTO obligations-FM

“A new basic agreement is possible only if its trade section includes what we agreed to as part of our accession to the WTO,” Lavrov said

BERLIN, March 21 (Itar-Tass) —— European partners are trying to ensure that the basic agreement between the European Union and Russia includes provisions that go beyond Russia’s obligations in the World Trade Organisation (WTO), Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said.

“Our partners in the European Commission have decided for some reason to try to get more from us than what we have ascribed to within the WTO. They want WTO+,” Lavrov said on Wednesday, March 21.

“This cannot be done because even if we agreed to that we would have to apply these extra benefits not only to EU members but also to all WTO member states,” the minister said.

“The European Commission is basically trying to revisit the results of the 18-year-old talks on Russia’s accession to the WTO. We do not rule out that there can be, and probably should be, additional arrangements between Russia and the European Union that will go further than the regimes we have agreed within the WTO. But the agreement with the WTO has to be ratified first and let work and then additions can be discussed,” the minister said.

“A new basic agreement is possible only if its trade section includes what we agreed to as part of our accession to the WTO,” Lavrov said.

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FACTBOX: Collective Security Treaty Organization

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