State Duma Official Comments On Joining WTO

Victor Pleskachevsky, head of the State Duma's committee on property, is sure that Russia should join the World Trade Organization (WTO). "In the event Russia joins WTO, Russian businesses will have to restructure in order to compete with civilized businesses, that is why (Russian) oligarchs may object to it," he said in an interview with journalists today. In his opinion, Russia's membership in this organization will be beneficial for the population. He believes that, like at any other negotiations, Russia should trade off the most favorable conditions for itself. "Certainly, some manufacturers will lose the advantages of a self-contained economy," he stressed. Pleskachevsky maintains that disputes around this question have a lot of political undertoes.