"Enough negotiations, it's time to make decisions," Medvedev said at a meeting of the EU-Russia Industrialists' Round Table in Cannes. He accused the international financial organization of being reluctant to accept new members.
Russia had expected to join the 153-member global trade body by the end of next year, but the accession process has dragged due to a number of political and economic factors, not least the military conflict between Russia and Georgia following Tbilisi's attack on breakaway South Ossetia in August, which gave rise to criticism of Russia in the United States and some other Western countries, including calls to bar Russian from the WTO.
In response, Russia warned it would review some commitments made as a condition of its swift accession, and lifted a moratorium on discussions on new production facilities for car parts in Russia.
Still, Moscow's top WTO negotiator said this week that the next round of talks on Russia's entry to the WTO would be held on November 24-25.
Maxim Medvedkov also said the absence of diplomatic relations with Georgia would not pose an obstacle for Russia's entry into the organization.
Georgia, which became a WTO member in 2000, broke off diplomatic relations with Russia after Moscow recognized the independence of its breakaway republics of South Ossetia and Abkhazia on August 26, two weeks after the end of a five-day war.
Russia is the only major world economy still outside the WTO. The agreement of all 153 WTO members is necessary for a state to join the global trade body.
