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Russia's WTO accession has no dramatic consequences for Belarus, deputy minister says

Russia's accession to the World Trade Organization (WTO) does not entail any dramatic consequences for Belarus, Deputy Foreign Minister Anton Kudasaw said in the Council of the Republic on April 2.

Mr. Kudasaw said that Russia had sought to transform the country into a market economy and secure an exclusively privately-owned industrial sector since the 1990s.

"These approaches were shaped not only under the influence of international organizations, a certain team came [to power] in the 1990s. This is how they see the country's development," he said.

The WTO requires applicants for membership to bring their laws into line with the global trade body's standards before they could join it, which Russia did throughout the 2000s, according to Mr. Kudasaw.

As a result, he said, from the point of view of economic policy Russia may be viewed as a country that has long been a WTO member.

Mr. Kudasaw noted that most countries had dropped import duties as a tool of protecting domestic manufacturers long ago, switching to quality and safety standards and other "creative" measures instead. "Duties cannot protect from China," he said. //BelaPAN