Russia has reached 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 (WTO), Maksim Medvedkov, head of the Russian delegation and Director of the department for trade negotiations of the Russian Ministry for Economic Development, said.
An independent company will monitor freighting and will support Russian and Georgian customs services, RIA Novosti reports.
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.
Medvedkov said that a formal session of a working group on the WTO will be held on November 10-11. A ministerial conference with 153 WTO members will be held on December 15-17. Russia needs the approval of all WTO members to join it. The Wall Street Journal says EU states pressured Georgia to accept Russia.
If all the ministers agree, Russia would only need to ratify documents in 30 days to become a WTO member.
