Georgia Warns Russia over WTO Bid

Georgia?s delegation to the Geneva-based World Trade Organization (WTO) said it will not set a date for the next round of multilateral talks over Russia?s WTO accession, the Georgian Foreign Ministry said in a statement on October 12.

?Therefore, the next round of multilateral talks on the Russian Federation?s accession to WTO was adjourned for an indefinite period of time. To determine its dates, the Working Group Chair will presumably hold additional consultations with the member states,? the Georgian Foreign Ministry said.

The statement says that Russia?s ban on imports of Georgian wine, sparkling and mineral water, as well as vegetable products was further deteriorated after air, sea, land, railway and postal communication between the two countries was severed, which is ?equal to a total economic blockade of Georgia.?

In March 2006, before Russia imposed sanctions on Georgia, Tbilisi announced that it would give its go-ahead to Russia?s WTO bid only after Moscow put an end to the illegal operation of two border checkpoints – Adleri-Leselidze, at the border between Russia and breakaway Abkhazia, and the Roki Tunnel, at the border between Russia and breakaway South Ossetia.

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