Georgian official: Russia unlikely to join WTO without Georgia’s consent

Russia will not be able to join the World Trade Organization (WTO) without Georgia’s consent, Spokesman of the Georgian Prime Minister Niko Mchedlishvili said.

“Georgia has a right to veto and Russia will not be able to join the organization without our vote,” he said.

Russian Economic Development Minister Elvira Nabiullina and EU Trade Commissioner Karel de Gucht signed a memorandum on completing talks in connection with Russia’s entry into the WTO yesterday. Russia’s entry into the WTO is already a “real issue,” Russian President Dmitry Medvedev said in Brussels after the EU-Russia summit.

Mchedlishvili does not exclude the possibility of starting negotiations between Russia and Georgia on the issue.

“Georgia is ready for negotiations,” he said. “But our position on the legalization of customs checkpoints on the Psou River and the Roki Tunnel is unchangeable.”