WTO show sustained engagement in Belarus accession process

Istanbul, May 17 (DHA) - At the 10th meeting of the Working Party on the Accession of Belarus held on 15 May, World Trade Organization (WTO) members stressed their commitment to working towards the country's WTO accession and urged Minsk to take appropriate policy decisions in order to make a decisive push forward. The meeting was the third since the resumption of the Working Party work in January 2017.

"We seem to have found a good rhythm and I would like to thank everyone for their sustained engagement in the process," said Ambassador Kemal Madenoğlu (Turkey), Chair of the Working Party. "Over the past 18 months the factual picture has become much clearer. Attention is shifting to the elaboration of commitment language for the Working Party Report. This is an important step forward. It is at this stage, as the negotiators seek to define the parameters of the negotiation outcomes, which key policy choices will need to be made. High-level political engagement will, therefore, become central to the process. I hope that the authorities in Minsk will rise to this challenge," he added.