MINSK, 23 June (BelTA) – Belarus is yet to complete the negotiations on the accession to the World Trade Organization with the EU, the United States, Canada, Ukraine and New Zealand, Vladimir Serpikov, Ambassador-at-Large of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Chief Negotiator on Belarus' accession to the WTO, told BelTA on the sidelines of the regional roundtable with the business community hosted by the Minsk City Hall on 23 June.
“Joining the World Trade Organization is one of the priorities of Belarus' foreign trade policy. The accession process is long and the country has been involved in it since 1993. During this time there were some pauses in the process, but that was due to the foreign policy trends. It is important to have an even relationship with key WTO partners, which we have been building systematically. Today we can say that we are on the home stretch. We have completed the negotiations with the People's Republic of China, the Republic of Korea, Japan, Norway, Ecuador, Guatemala, El Salvador, Iceland, Argentina, Switzerland, Australia, India, Turkey. We will sign the protocol with Brazil soon. It We are yet to complete the negotiations with the EU, the United States, Canada, Ukraine and New Zealand. The negotiations are already close to completion with some of them. We just need to find agreement on one issue. We will still have to work with Ukraine and the U.S. to bring the process to the final stage, but I hope we have covered most of the way," Vladimir Serpikov said.
He added that WTO accession is not only about benefits for the country but also about obligations. Positive aspects, however, outnumber negative ones. “Over the past year, the negotiation process has slowed down due to the coronavirus pandemic. Nevertheless, work continues. We are consistently and patiently negotiating to bring the process to a logical conclusion, because membership will help the country reach a new level. For the international business community, major international corporations this will be a sign that we follow the generally accepted rules of foreign economic activity, provide appropriate protection for foreign investors. This will give them confidence, and it will let us open up the country even more to attract investment. Thanks to them, new jobs will be created and competition in the labor market will increase, which means higher salaries and overall better wellbeing of people,” the ambassador said.
Regional roundtables with the business community on Belarus' accession to the WTO are organized by the United Nations Development Program in partnership with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Belarus. The events take place throughout the country. During the roundtables, local business gets familiar with the the country's WTO accession process and the main benefits for businesses from the country's membership in this global organization. The participants discuss practical issues related to the promotion of Belarusian goods and services in foreign markets under the conditions of the country's accession to the WTO, and hold working consultations with international trade policy experts.
