Belarusian delegation participates in the next round of negotiations on accession to the WTO

12 September 2017

12-09-2017

On September 11-15, 2017 in Geneva (Switzerland), the Belarusian delegation led by the First Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, Andrei Yeudachenka, participates in the next round of negotiations on Belarus' accession to the World Trade Organization (WTO).

On September 12, A.Yeudachenka met with the Chairman of the Working Group on Belarus' Accession to the WTO, Permanent Representative of Turkey to the WTO, Kemal Madenoglu, and Acting Director of the Department for Accession of New Countries of the WTO Secretariat, Maika Oshikawa.

During the meeting, the parties discussed the situation in the negotiation process on Belarus' accession to the WTO and the preparations for the 9th meeting of the Working Group. K.Madenoglu welcomed the significant intensification of the negotiations and confirmed support for the country's soonest entry into the Organization. The sides expressed satisfaction with the progress made by Belarus in the process of accession to the WTO since early 2017, including the dissemination of the first draft of the Report of the Working Group and the completion of bilateral negotiations with a number of WTO member countries. A.Yeudachenka conveyed the invitation of the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Belarus, Vladimir Makei, to the Chair of the Working Group and the staff of the Department for the Accession of New Countries of the WTO Secretariat to visit Minsk in 2017.

On September 12, the Protocol on the completion of bilateral negotiations on market access for goods and services with Ecuador was also signed in Geneva.

On behalf of the Government of the Republic of Belarus, the document was signed by the First Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, Andrei Yeudachenka, on behalf of the Government of Ecuador the protocol was signed by the Permanent Representative to the WTO, Diego Aulestia Valencia.

The parties expressed hope that Belarus' accession to the WTO will promote further expansion of trade and economic cooperation both between the two countries and between Ecuador and the Eurasian Economic Union.

Ecuador became the thirteenth member of the WTO, with which Belarus completed bilateral negotiations on accession to the Organization.

On the same day, agreement was reached on the completion by the end of 2017 of negotiations on access to the market for goods with El Salvador.