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Tbilisi reiterates demands for allowing Russian WTO accession

By M. Alkhazashvili
Monday, February 11
Newly-appointed Foreign Affairs Minister Davit Bakradze reiterated on February 7 that Georgia is not opposed to Russian membership in the WTO, but that Moscow must “resolve some serious issues” before Tbilisi will sanction Russian accession to the trade organization.

Those issues include the “legalization” of the Psou and Roki Tunnel checkpoints on the de jure Georgian-Russian border; they fall within Abkhaz and South Ossetian separatist-controlled territory, respectively, and Georgia wants international oversight of the areas.

A new round of negotiations over Russian accession is to begin this month, according to the newspaper Akhali Taoba.