September 19 2005, 14:31

Kazakhstan intends to join WTO simultaneously with Russia

According to Kazakhstan's Deputy Minister of Economy Kairat Aytkenov, Kazakhstan intends to join World Trade Organization simultaneously with Russia.

"In principle, synchrony in actions of our government with Russian leadership on this issue will be kept up", he said to a local newspaper September 17.

"The point is: if we have discussed all the conditions of our entry and have reached an agreement on all the disputable issues while Russia still has unresolved questions with western or Chinese colleagues, we will not be pressing on too much", Aytkenov said.

He said that within the framework of WTO accession talks Kazakhstan was currently holding negotiations with "the main "counterpartners", which are the US, European Union, China and Russia" and "half of the issues and conditions ha already been resolved".