Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev said on Saturday that it would be advantageous for Kazakstan to join the World Trade Organization after Russia, RIA Novosti reports.
The WTO Working Party on Russia’s accession last week sealed the deal on Russia’s entry to WTO. A Ministerial Conference set for December 15-17, is expected to approve the package and accept Russia as a WTO Member.
"It is advantageous for Kazakhstan to enter (the WTO) on the conditions Russia did it, because Russia managed to agree on higher tariffs than we have now," Nazarbayev said in an interview to RIA Novosti.
Nazarbayev also said Moscow and Astana had previousely signed an agreement, under which Russia would support Kazakh's application to enter the WTO after it joined the organization itself.
"It is important for Kazakhstan that it is Russia that joins the WTO first, because all out transport corridors pass to Europe through Russia," he explained.
He added that Kazakhstan had also practically finished talks with all the WTO members and would be ready to join the organization by the end of 2012.
