Agro Perspectiva

Russia’s first month in WTO – summing up

25.09.2012 10:12 "Agro Perspectiva" (Kyiv) — One month has passed since Russia became a member of the World Trade Organization. On Monday, General Assembly of the World Trade Center Association opened in Moscow. The first day of the assembly was devoted to summing up the results of the first month of Russia’s membership in the WTO, says Voice of Russia. Speaking at the forum, Russia’s former Prime Minister Evgeny Primakov said that more and more people both in Russia and abroad are starting to think that Russia’s membership in the WTO is beneficial both for Russia and for other WTO’s members - although quite a few people still think in a different way. The discussions lasted for 2 hours. The agenda was very intense - the participants discussed attracting large investments in the key spheres of Russia’s industry and agriculture, supporting medium-size and small businesses and organizing joint projects. Now that Russia is a member of the WTO, all these problems demand new approaches. «Russia’s economy has been living by the international laws for already a month,» Evgeny Primakov said, «but some people still believe that Russia’s joining the WTO was a mistake. Of course, many problems still remain. But problems should be solved, not complained about.» «It should be acknowledged, however,» Mr. Primakov continued, «that at present, for some branches of Russia’s economy, membership in the WTO is rather loss-making than profitable. It will take some time for Russia to adapt to new rules of the „game.» For other countries, membership in the WTO is, as a rule, beneficial. It helps them to defend the interests of their producers. Why should it be another way for Russia? Membership in the WTO will make Russians produce more competitive goods." Foreign participants of the forum said that Russia’s membership in the WTO is profitable for other countries as well. It makes Russian businesses more transparent for them. This will attract more foreign investments in the Russian economy. «Before Russia became a WTO member, as many as more than 70 restrictions existed for Russian companies in 40 countries,» the head of the Russian Center of Economic Trade Vladimir Salamatov said in an interview with the Voice of Russia. «Now, Russia has every right to demand that these restrictions should be lifted. Russia already has a vast potential for a broader and more dynamic economic cooperation with the rest of the world. The only obstacle that hampers this process is lack of a developed infrastructure to that end. But this obstacle is already being removed.» «Now, in spite of all the economic problems that still exist in our country, Russia is already a full-fledged member of the family of the world’s most developed economies, and it will be more difficult for those who may want to impose some unprofitable conditions on Russia to do so. At present, more and more foreign companies want to cooperate with Russia.» At present, there are about 10 international trade centers in Russia, like the one of which Mr. Salamatov is the head. Meanwhile, there are about 100 similar centers in Europe and about 60 in the US. «In the nearest future, several more such centers will open in Russia - mainly, in areas with rapidly developing economy, like the Kaliningrad region, Tatarstan and the Far East,» Mr. Salamatin says. Last summer, an International Business Center «Russia in the WTO» opened in Moscow. One of its aims is to help Russian entrepreneurs to learn more about the norms and rules of international trade.