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Negotiations on Belarus’ accession to the World Trade Organization have entered the final stage. This is stated in the review of the results of the foreign policy of Belarus and the activities of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in 2021, published on the website of the department, BelTA informs.

“Since the intensification of work on Belarus’s accession to the WTO in 2016, negotiations have reached the final stage. However, due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic in the world, consideration of the fifth edition of the draft report of the working group (the final document defining the conditions for the country’s membership in the organization) and work According to the final agreement, Belarus’ obligations in the WTO have been postponed to 2022,” the ministry said.

The Foreign Ministry noted that in 2021, efforts were focused on internal work in order to improve the foreign trade regime, taking into account the requirements of the WTO. From 2016 to 2021, bilateral negotiations on market access were completed with 12 WTO members. Thus, the total number of bilateral protocols for the entire period of negotiations has reached 21. Last year, a number of consultations were held with Brazil and Costa Rica, and a format for formalizing bilateral agreements is being worked out.