September 17, 2008

Putin says Russia to revise WTO obligations

Prime Minister Vladimir Putin said Russia would revise its obligations undertaken as part of the process to join the World Trade Organization, Prime-Tass news agency reported Tuesday (September 16).

"Ahead of WTO accession we undertook obligations and were fulfilling them, but we weren't a member (of the organization)," Putin said Tuesday at a meeting with State Duma deputies from the Liberal Democratic Party of Russia, or LDPR.

"This cannot continue any longer. I have instructed the services responsible for the issue - and we are already holding consultations with our partners, including the US - on changing the parameters of Russia's obligations," Putin said.

Russia's talks on WTO membership stalled in the wake of its military conflict with Georgia last month, with some Western politicians calling for preventing Russia's accession.

Putin also said Tuesday that he was dissatisfied with growing imports of livestock products.

"Healthy competition is a good thing, but if the inflow of goods becomes excessive, it puts pressure on domestic production, and we should take a closer look at this," he said.