Georgia will not support Russia's accession to the World Trade Organization (WTO), Sergi Kapanadze, director of Georgia's Foreign Ministry's International Organizations Department said on Monday.
U.S. Deputy Secretary of State William Burns recently said that Russia is closer than it has ever been to joining the WTO.
"Our position on this issue has not changed. We and Russia have many unsolved issues, including Russia's entrance into the WTO," Kapanadze said, commenting on the U. S. statement.
Georgia entered the WTO in 2000. Georgia broke off diplomatic relations with Russia after a five-day war in August 2008, which began when Georgian forces attacked South Ossetia in an attempt to bring it back under central control.
Russia has been in negotiations for WTO membership for 17 years compared with the average accession period of five to seven years and is the only major economy outside of the global trade body. Consent from all 153 WTO members is necessary for a state to join the organization.
To date, Russia has completed mandatory bilateral negotiations with 60 countries, but has yet to synchronize positions on several issues, including agriculture, export duties for timber, and regulation of some state-controlled companies.
TBILISI, September 13 (RIA Novosti)
