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WTO: Wish, Trouble, Opportunity

RIA Novosti

Regardless of the optimism Obama’s administration radiates, it is still uncertain whether Russia will join the World Trade Organization by the end of the year. Too many problems are in one knot to be untangled in such a short time.

The first and, to a large extent, the key factor is Russia’s willingness to pursue this goal.

The most recent factor sounded during the St. Petersburg Economic Forum, when Deputy Prime Minister Igor Shuvalov expressed his confidence that the remaining issues would be resolved within a few weeks. He warned that otherwise Russia’s accession to the WTO could be drawn out.

Following him, Russia’s Economic Development Minister Elvira Nabiullina echoed this sentiment and added that authorities responsible for the negotiations “are doing their best to reach an agreement.”

However, it seems that in reality Russia is willing to enjoy the benefits of the world trade network while not ready to give any rebates required of such a multilateral membership.