Joining WTO Russia's top priority of today

The admission to the World Trade Organisation is considered a top priority for Russia for the next few years, according to the Ministry of Economic Development and Trade.

"Joining the WTO is the most important step toward Russia's integration to the world economic space," said Mikhail Dmitriev, first deputy minister of economic development and trade, who spoke at the 'Russian and the CIS-2003' conference Tuesday.

According to him, the Russian laws' adaptation to the WTO norms will be completed by the end of this year. "Once that is done, the negotiations will enter the final phase," Dmitriyev believes.

According to him, "the second most important goal on the medium-term programme is Russia's admission to the Organisation of Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD)."In the deputy minister's opinion, this goal is more complicated than joining the WTO, because the OECD has a set of requirements and standards which would also compel Russia to adjust its national law.

In the long-term prospect, Russia needs to search for ways to become integrated with the EU, Dmitriyev went on to say. "Russia's successful economic development is hardly achievable without a formation of a single economic space with the united Europe," he added. He doesn't think it possible in the next two or three years, but still, those years are bound to play a most important role in the search for ways of integration.