Trade Relations with Russia
After 18 years of negotiation, Russia cleared the final hurdle to becoming a member of the World Trade Organization (WTO), when the WTO ministers adopted its terms of entry at a December conference in Geneva. Thirty days after the Russian Duma ratifies its accession, which it must do before June 15, 2012, Russia will be the 154th country and the last of the G-20 (Group of 20) major economies to join the WTO. Membership in the WTO will give Russia access to export markets and a place at the table in setting the rules for world trade. To gain acceptance,…
