Russia supports Belarus in the accession to the WTO
Accession to the WTO is one of the priority objectives of the foreign trade policy of the Republic of Belarus. Membership in the WTO will help Belarus ensure stable and predictable terms of trade with the countries of the international community and will provide foreign investors and manufacturers with generally accepted rules of foreign trade operations in Belarus. The opening of the National Centre for the World Trade Organization is another effective step on Belarus' path towards WTO membership.
On 9 December 2021, the National Centre for the World Trade Organization was inaugurated in Minsk on the basis of the "National Centre for Marketing and Price Study" of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Belarus. The opening of the Center became possible due to the joint project of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Belarus and the United Nations Development Program "Assisting the Government of the Republic of Belarus in Accession to the World Trade Organization through Strengthening the Expert and Institutional Capacity" which is implemented with the financial support of the Russian Federation.
The welcome speeches at the opening ceremony were delivered by Vladimir Serpikov, Ambassador of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Belarus, head of the negotiating delegation of the Republic of Belarus on accession to the WTO; Aleksandra Solovyova, Permanent Representative of the United Nations Development Program in Belarus; Anton Kunitsky, representative of the Embassy of the Russian Federation in the Republic of Belarus.
After the official opening ceremony, an introductory tour of the Centre was held, the participants had an opportunity to see the work of the Centre's staff. The main task of the Centre at the initial stage is to advise the Belarusian business entities on a variety of issues related to the accession to the WTO.
Russia has been supporting the project of assistance to the Government of the Republic of Belarus in accession to the World Trade Organization through the strengthening of expert and institutional capacity since 2010. Total funding from 2010 to 2022 amounts to $1.78 million.