Delays in WTO bid 'irritate' Russia
05-04-2009
The Russian President, Dmitry Medvedev, has said that delays in Russia's bid to join the World Trade Organisation "irritate" Moscow but added that his country was still ready to join the global trade body.
"Russia is ready for accession on normal, non-discriminatory terms. We will do everything that is necessary.
This process has dragged out and this irritates us," Mr Medvedev said in televised remarks. "We are not making a tragedy out of the fact that the process has been drawn out.
The main thing is that it does not become a never-ending story," Mr Medvedev said at a joint press conference with Chilean President Michelle Bachelet.
Russia's WTO hopes suffered a setback last year after its war with Georgia badly strained relations with the West, and the United States cast doubt on Russia's bid to join the international body.
