You're reading: Russian accession to WTO offends Lukashenko

Minsk - Russia bilked Belarus in its accession to the World Trade Organization (WTO), Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko told Russian regional media in Minsk on Tuesday. 

“You must know that the WTO is a political organization for the most part. They kicked Russia, Kazakhstan, Belarus and other post-Soviet countries. You know who kicked us and tried to break us up. Kyrgyzstan was admitted to the WTO after it had nullified import duties, and Ukraine raised its hands in surrender and was admitted too,” he said.

“We encountered a difficult situation and I proposed: let us have our own WTO in the post-Soviet space if they wish to admit us to their WTO,” he said.

“Vladimir Vladimirovich (Putin, the President of Russia) said that the Customs Union and the Common Economic Space were absolute priorities. And a man came an hour later, I do not want to name him, and said in front of his president that their priority was the WTO. Vladimir Vladimirovich told me after that man had left: don’t worry, we will develop our relations like I said.”

“And I said: make sure that you do not bilk us in your accession to the WTO,” he said.

“What happened next? You know what. Besides, a minister told me that they were laughing at us: “Got you!”,” the president said.