Russia earlier said it was planning to complete all bilateral and multilateral negotiations on WTO entry by mid-summer, but had failed to reach an agreement at bilateral talks with Georgia in May. Russian Economics Development and Trade minister German Gref said Friday the talks had been postponed until the fall.
"WTO Secretary General Pascal Lamy, Susan Schwab, Deputy United States Trade Representative and European Commissioner for Trade Peter Mandelson will arrive at the forum to negotiate Russia's accession to the WTO," Maxim Medvedkov said.
Russia's has already completed bilateral WTO talks both with the United States and the EU. Multilateral talks are underway now on agricultural support, export duties, veterinary and phytosanitary measures and intellectual property protection.
Russia's second-largest city is currently hosting the 11th St. Petersburg International Economic Forum, to last until Sunday.
