A session of the WTO working group on welcoming Russia into this organization should take place on November 10-11. If this group ratifies documents on Russia’s joining, they will be considered at the ministries’ conference of 153 members of the WTO, which is planned on December 15-17.
Russia has been striving to join the WTO since 1993. Georgia left the negotiation process in April 2008 in response to the Russian president’s order to lift economic sanctions against Abkhazia and South Ossetia. Tbilisi broke off diplomatic relations with Moscow after the Russian-Georgian war in August 2008.
Talks reopened in March 2011 with Swiss mediation. Only in early November did Russia reach an agreement with Georgia on monitoring of freighting on the borders of Abkhazia and South Ossetia, as the final disputed point of joining the World Trade Organization. An independent company will monitor freighting and will support Russian and Georgian customs services.
Few hours ahead of announcement of the news a video link between Moscow and Tbilisi took place. Russian and Georgian experts shared their views on the issue.
Aleksey Portansky, the director of the information bureau on Russia’s entry to the WTO
Today the World Trade Organization is a maximum depoliticized organization. Among the 150 members of this organization one can find countries which have very tense relations in the political sphere, but they cooperate within the WTO. For example, India and Pakistan. Thus, negotiations inside the WTO and on accession to the WTO should have a a-political character. The Russian side insisted that such negotiations are strictly about trade and have no political background.
A country has to gain the support of members of the working group, in our case there were 60 countries, including Georgia. Unfortunately, after 2006 and 2008, when the war took place Georgia withdrew its signature under the bilateral agreement on membership, to be more precise, on the end of negotiations on Russia entering the WTO, and after that, contacts between the Georgian and Russian sides were politically coloured.
Despite tension in relations in general and an absence of diplomatic relations, when Russia becomes a WTO member our trading relations will be normalized. I hope this will revive lost trading contacts between Russia and Georgia.
Petr Mamradze, the representative of the party Movement For a Just Georgia
I want to explain the political side of the issue. Saakashvili has a monopoly not only in foreign policy. And this time his actions are unreasonable and senseless. Nobody takes him seriously. I quote the major American political expert, Walter Russell Mid: “Their worst enemy wouldn’t treat Georgia as Saakashvili does.” Unfortunately, it is true. The position of Georgia on the WTO was ineffective, and the West began to lose its temper. I remind you that all Western countries, including the US, as Obama promised Medvedev that Russia would be a WTO member, and the European Union states, are interested in Russian membership of the WTO. This is confirmed by statements of major experts in this sphere. Only Saakashvili and the authorities of Georgia are against it.
At the same time, Georgia could benefit from making the right decision, improving its image, for example. The Western media reported that the authorities of Georgia were hinting that Europe and the USA could welcome Russia into the WTO without the agreement of Georgia (and the charter of the WTO presupposes such a situation), and only after that did Saakashvili agree to this variant. The main point at the moment is that Saakashvili wants Russia to admit, at least indirectly, that Abkhazia and South Ossetia are parts of Georgia. Let’s see how Russia will react to such a suggestion. I hope the reaction will be positive, and Russia will enter the WTO without further conflicts.
However, we cannot expect it will be an agreement between Georgia and Russia, but Russia is still a major investor for Georgia. It is a double-standard policy and PR.
Sergey Mikheyev, the general director of the Current Political Situation Centre
As for improving Russian-Georgian relations, it could be an improvement, because somehow an agreement was reached. We should be fair: reconstruction the trading relations between the two countries is first of all beneficial for Georgia. I cannot say it is essential for Russia.
Kakha Kukava, the leader of Free Georgia party
We understand that the Georgian veto had always been a farce, it is not Georgia that decides whether Russia will be a WTO member or not. It is American-Russian deals, and when the negotiations came to an end, Georgia was told to give its agreement. At the moment, Georgia offers Russia the mediation of Switzerland, of course Tbilisi wants to save its image, as in reality the mediation means nothing. You say Russia won’t agree to the presence of Georgian officials in Psou and Rokski, but nobody is demanding it. They spoke about exchange of information, and this is not very important for Georgia.
Our party has many times stated its position: interest in trading relations between Russia and Georgia is huge for Georgia. More than 50% of the Georgian population depends on whether the Russian market is open to Georgian products or not. The only market where people can sell their agricultural products is Russia. That is why it is important for Georgia to achieve agreement in this sphere.
The Georgian government doesn’t follow the national interests of the country. As for Russia, of course, everyone understands that the WTO has never been considered as a platform for settling political problems around Abkhazia and South Ossetia.
VK
