Russia is not going to withdraw from the World Trade Organization (WTO), although some countries are trying to force it out of there. According to RIA Novosti, this was stated by the director of the Department of Economic Cooperation of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Dmitry Birichevsky.
The Foreign Ministry, according to the diplomat, is considering all options for Russia’s participation in multilateral trade and is analyzing “the balance of benefits and costs of full membership in the WTO.” “We proceed from the fact that there are reasons to remain in the organization as a full member in order to maintain stable ties with developing states,” Birichevsky said.
Russia joined the WTO in 2012. In March last year, shortly after the start of the military operation in Ukraine, the deputies of A Just Russia – For Truth submitted a bill to the State Duma to denounce the agreement on the country’s accession to the organization. In May 2022, Russian President Vladimir Putin instructed the government to analyze the sanctions imposed against Moscow by WTO members and “submit proposals for Russia to challenge such measures within the organization, as well as to update the strategy for Russia’s participation in the World Trade Organization.”
At the same time, the Foreign Ministry has repeatedly emphasized that the country does not intend to abandon membership in the trade organization. Withdrawal from the WTO may negatively affect the level and quality of Russia’s foreign economic relations, since the organization is an important and uncontested platform for defending Russian trade and economic interests, said Alexander Pankin, deputy head of the department. The Foreign Ministry called the exit from the WTO a “gift for enemies.”
The Ministry of Economic Development also opposes refusal of membership in the organization. In March last year, the department said that states that did not impose sanctions against Russia would negatively perceive the country’s withdrawal from the WTO.
Source: Rosbalt
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