Sri Lanka approves Russian WTO bid

MOSCOW: Russia secured Sri Lanka's backing Friday for its bid to join the World Trade Organisation (WTO), the Ministry for Economic Development and Trade said, as intense trade talks approached their conclusion.

Russian and Sri Lankan officials signed a protocol on Russia's WTO entry in Colombo after Russia agreed to a phased reduction in tariffs on tea imports, the Ministry said in a statement.

Russia and the United States are due to sign a landmark deal approving Russia's membership bid this Sunday in Vietnam, where President Vladimir Putin and his US counterpart George W. Bush will be attending a summit of the Asia-Pacific Economic Co-operation (APEC) forum.

Once that deal is signed, Moldova and Georgia will be the only WTO members not to have approved Russia's membership in bilateral talks, although another round of multilateral talks is required before actual accession.

Russia has banned imports of particular food products from both Georgia and Moldova on safety grounds - measures the two countries say are politically motivated. (AFP)