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Andrey Slepnev, Minister in charge of Trade of the Eurasian Economic Commission, chaired the 4th meeting of the Working Group on interaction between the Eurasian Economic Union Member States and the Eurasian Economic Commission on the World Trade Organisation (WTO) issues.

"The Working Group's activity is aimed at discussing relevant matters and bringing positions closer together where possible. We are now meeting on the eve of the 13th session of the Ministerial Conference to be held in Abu Dhabi later this month," the Minister noted. "It is important for us at this particular time, when all the WTO members are engaged in active discussions on the coordination of final decisions and declaration, to exchange information on the progress of multilateral negotiations and to reconcile the approaches of our States to considering the agenda issues of the forthcoming WTO Ministerial Conference. In particular, those issues that are directly related to the jurisdiction of the EEC and our Union". 

The meeting attendees informed on the need to ensure the full-fledged functioning of the WTO Dispute Settlement Body and to negotiate the reform of the WTO dispute settlement system based on the principles of openness, inclusiveness and transparency.

The parties also expressed support for the WTO efforts in developing and implementing the concept of "smooth" transition for countries being excluded from the least developed country category based on decisions of the United Nations General Assembly. 

The general attention was focused on the importance of discussing transit issues and considering the interests of land-locked States, including at special sessions on transit of the WTO Committee on Trade Facilitation. The importance of extending the moratorium on customs duties on electronic data transfer until the date of the 14th WTO Ministerial Conference was emphasized.

"All countries have expressed support for the Belarusian negotiation process to join the World Trade Organisation," Andrey Slepnev concluded.