Georgia’s condition of Russia’s WTO membership

During his interview to Radio Echo Moskvy, the Georgian President Saakashvili outlined the conditions according to which Georgia will be ready to support Russia’s claims of entering the WTO. Georgia’s position has been modified, as Tbilisi withdrew its demand to deploy its border forces and customs officers at the checkpoints at Roki and Psou between Russia and Georgia’s breakaway territories of South Ossetia and Abkhazia. Now Georgia demands deployment of international observers and/or forces to monitor the transportation of cargo in those directions. "We don’t want to settle all our problems through WTO", stated Saakashvili. But he added that some kind of international body should monitor and control the movement of goods at the places which are internationally acknowledged as borders by all the international organizations and the entire civilized world. He suggested a world customs organization, the EU or any regional organization representing serious countries to fulfill this role. Saakashvili also mentioned that the Kremlin was not seriously considering Georgia’s demands and was thinking that the west would force Tbilisi to lift its demand. However, Moscow has explained that the decision should be taken only as part of bilateral relations between Moscow and Tbilisi.