President of European Council wants Russian membership of WTO

Russia needs to join the World Trade Organization (WTO) as soon as
possible, RIA Novosti reports, citing the President of the European
Council Herman Van Rompuy.

The Russian Minister of Economic Development Elvira Nabiullina and the
EU Commissioner for Trade Karel De Gucht signed a memorandum on mutual
understanding between Russia and the EU on Tuesday, which concluded
the bilateral negotiations on Russian membership in the WTO. Russia
has been trying to become a WTO member for 17 years.