By Country / Russia
Russia Accuses U.S. Of Holding Up WTO Talks
March 13, 2006
Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov (file photo) (ITAR-TASS)
In an interview published on March 13 in the daily "Vremya novostei," Lavrov said that he saw a "political subtext in the position of the American negotiators."
He said he thought Washington expected more from Russia than it did from other candidates.
Russia and the WTO have been discussing membership for over a decade. Only the United States and Columbia have not yet signed the bilateral agreements that would seal Russia's entry into the WTO.
The main stumbling block in the talks with the United States is access to Russia's financial markets.