EU seeks clarification over Russia's WTO bid

(BRUSSELS) - The European Union will ask Russia, at a Stockholm summit on Wednesday, to clarify its intention to join the World Trade Organization, while Amnesty International wants the focus placed on human rights.

"That is one of the questions we will have on the table for the Russians," Swedish Foreign Minister Carl Bildt, whose country holds the EU's rotating presidency, told reporters Tuesday, on the eve of the EU-Russia summit in Stockholm.

"The difficulty that we have there (with Russia) of course is the WTO and although President (Dmitry) Medvedev said a number of interesting things in his policy speech the other day I was struck by the fact that the WTO wasn't even mentioned," he said ahead of talks with fellow European ministers.

"Clearly that might mean something" Bildt added, noting that "the economic relationship is of course a key part of the overall relationship" between Brussels and Moscow.

However, on Friday, Medvedev said he hoped that next year he could conclude negotiations on Russia joining the WTO.

"WTO accession remains on our agenda: we hope to conclude talks in 2010," Medvedev said.

Medvedev stressed the importance of accession to Russia, a key global supplier of oil and gas, as well as to its trading partners.

"Russia will continue to be a reliable source of energy and other raw materials," he said.

Russia, in need of modernising often dilapidated industrial machinery, would "remain large importers of new equipment, technology and services."

He said: "In other words, Russia sees itself as part of the global trade system, and wants to build stronger, more friendly and comfortable relations with all our partners."

But in June, Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin announced that his country would unite with Kazakhstan and Belarus to form a customs union, and present a joint bid to become members of world trade's governing body.

That would have brought an end to Russia's long quest for WTO membership.

The WTO believes the customs union would complicate matters, and the three nations have since dropped the plans to join as a group although they do intend to become members at the same time.

The EU, for its part, is now unsure about Russia's willingness to join, and is concerned that the issue could put the brakes on efforts by Brussels and Moscow to draw up a new strategic partnership to upgrade their ties.

Finnish Foreign Minister Alexander Stubb was more positive about the summit talks.

"I think the US and Russia have pressed the reset button and in many ways it's time for us to do the same," he told reporters in Brussels.

"I think it's very important that we give full support to president Medvedev, because his recent blog, his recent column, and his recent state of the union address is taking Russia in the right direction and I think he deserves all the support we can give him," he added.

However Rights group Amnesty International, in a letter, urged the European Union to take a hard line with Moscow over human rights.

It called on the EU to "convey in the strongest possible terms its concern for the successive killings of human rights defenders in Russia and the absence of credible investigations."

Russia "ugly record of killings since the murder of (journalist Anna Politkovskaya shows that not enough steps were taken to protect others who were at risk," said Natalia Alonso, from Amnesty´s EU office.

"Those who are at risk today will be following closely the signal the EU sends tomorrow," she added.

"We know that any delay in Russia's accession (to the WTO) will have an impact on our bilateral relations," particularly on negotiations for an enhanced Russia-EU partnership deal," Swedish European Affairs Minister Cecilia Malmstrom said recently.

Russia is the only major power not to have joined the WTO. After tortuous talks back in 1993 its membership chances took another major knock in August last year when Russian troops fought a short war in Georgia.

EU - Russia Summit