Ukrainian Parliament Passes Two WTO-Related Bills
November 01, 2005
1 November 2005 -- Ukraine's parliament, the Verhovna Rada, today passed two bills required for the country's entry into the World Trade Organization (WTO).
President Viktor Yushchenko has made securing WTO membership a priority for his country.
On 28 October, Yushchenko called on the Ukrainian government to intensify its efforts to join the WTO by the end of this year.
Prime Minister Yurii Yekhanurov is currently in Washington for talks reportedly aimed at securing U.S. agreement in principle on a bilateral trade deal required for entry into the WTO.
The WTO has ruled out entry for Ukraine this year, saying bilateral accords with the United States and other states are incomplete and that key legislation still needs to be passed.
(Interfax-Ukraine/Reuters/AP)