Georgien begrüßt 'erfolgreiches' WTO-Abkommen mit Russland - 10.10.2011, Civil Georgia
WTO deal with Russia is "very successful" for Georgia because "for the first time it allows to carry out international oversight on movement of cargo between Russia and Georgia's occupied territories," Nino Kalandadze, the Georgian deputy foreign minister, said on November 9.
Georgia said earlier on November 9 that it had signed with Moscow an agreement in the Swiss-mediated talks, thus finalizing bilateral WTO negotiations.
Kalandadze said that Georgia will soon make the signed documents publicly available.
She said that apart of border crossing points located on the Abkhaz and South Ossetian sections of the Georgian-Russian border, Zemo Larsi-Kazbegi border crossing point outside the breakaway regions would also fall under the international monitoring, which is planned to be carried out by a private company hired by Switzerland. With this, Kalandadze said, “Russia has actually recognized a uniform trade regime with Georgia, which we also welcome.”
“We hope that in the future Russia will also take such pragmatic stance in respect of those issues, which remain problematic between Russia and Georgia," she said.
She also expressed Georgia's appreciation towards the Swiss mediation efforts. Russia and Georgia launched Swiss-mediated WTO talks in March, 2011.
Tbilisi also welcomed Swiss efforts in the process of negotiations and stressed the importance of the decision, according to which a private company, which will carry out monitoring of trade between Russia and Georgia “will be accountable to the Swiss government and not to the sides.”
Georgien und Russland unterzeichnen WTO-Abkommen - 09.10.2011, Civil Georgia
Russia and Georgia signed on November 9 a bilateral agreement, completing WTO talks, Georgian negotiator, Sergi Kapanadze, said.
“We are very glad that after hesitation, Russia accepted the Swiss proposal; that is very important for us, because this is the first time when an international monitoring will be carried out on movement of cargo between Russia and Georgia, which also involves [cargo going in and from] Abkhazia and the Tskhinvali region,” Kapanadze told Georgian TV station, Rustavi 2, via phone from Geneva on November 9.
The package of documents includes bilateral agreement between the Russian and Georgian governments on customs administration and trade monitoring, he said. The package also includes documents related to the mandate of third, neutral party, Switzerland, which will hire a private company in charge of monitoring of trade. Kapanadze also said that the sides have also exchanged notes on terms of operation of a company, which will be monitoring the trade; these terms, he said, include provisions guaranteeing the company’s neutral operations.
Georgian negotiator in the Swiss-mediated WTO talks with Moscow, Sergi Kapanadze, said on November 4, that an agreement had been reached with Russia and only technical issues are remaining, which should be settled in next five days.
“We have an agreement with Russia,” Sergi Kapanadze, the Georgian deputy foreign minister, said after talks in Geneva. “We are glad that they [the Russian side] finally were able to accept the final Swiss proposal. Initialing of the agreement will happen tomorrow in Geneva.”
He said that the text of the agreement “is the same”, which Georgia had accepted last week.
“We will have technical work remaining next week, but hopefully there will be no complications as we have agreement over the text now,” Kapanadze said.
He also said that next week the Swiss mediators would provide the text of the mandate that it would confer to a neutral private company.
According to the deal observers from a private company will be stationed at the both ends of so called "trade corridors", but not inside of these corridors, meaning that they will not be stationed inside the breakaway Abkhazia and South Ossetia. Georgian officials said last week, that trade corridors, which will be defined by their geographic coordinates not by names, lie through breakaway Abkhazia and South Ossetia. The monitoring will also involve Zemo Larsi-Kazbegi border crossing point, which is on the undisputed section of the Georgian-Russian border, outside the breakaway regions.
“We will also have to agree to the text of the contract that Georgia and Russia will sign with the monitors,” Sergi Kapanadze said.
He said that the agreement should be signed before November 10, when the formal meeting of the WTO working party on Russia’s accession is scheduled.
Negotiations on the accession of a new member to WTO are held within a working party, uniting countries that have unsettled trade issues with a candidate country. The meeting is expected to approve the Russia’s draft accession document, a voluminous report detailing conditions for joining the organization.
“We have also agreed to the text of the working party report on Russia’s accession, which relates its WTO related commitments to Georgia,” Kapanadze said.
Georgischer Unterhändler Sergi Kapanadze: 'Wir haben ein WTO-Abkommen mit Russland' - 04.10.2011, Civil Georgia
Georgian negotiator in the Swiss-mediated WTO talks with Moscow, Sergi Kapanadze, said on November 4, that an agreement had been reached with Russia and only technical issues are remaining, which should be settled in next five days.
“We have an agreement with Russia,” Sergi Kapanadze, the Georgian deputy foreign minister, said after talks in Geneva. “We are glad that they [the Russian side] finally were able to accept the final Swiss proposal. Initialing of the agreement will happen tomorrow in Geneva.”
He said that the text of the agreement “is the same”, which Georgia had accepted last week.
“We will have technical work remaining next week, but hopefully there will be no complications as we have agreement over the text now,” Kapanadze said.
He also said that next week the Swiss mediators would provide the text of the mandate that it would confer to a neutral private company.
According to the deal observers from a private company will be stationed at the both ends of so called "trade corridors", but not inside of these corridors, meaning that they will not be stationed inside the breakaway Abkhazia and South Ossetia. Georgian officials said last week, that trade corridors, which will be defined by their geographic coordinates not by names, lie through breakaway Abkhazia and South Ossetia. The monitoring will also involve Zemo Larsi-Kazbegi border crossing point, which is on the undisputed section of the Georgian-Russian border, outside the breakaway regions.
“We will also have to agree to the text of the contract that Georgia and Russia will sign with the monitors,” Sergi Kapanadze said.
He said that the agreement should be signed before November 10, when the formal meeting of the WTO working party on Russia’s accession is scheduled.
Negotiations on the accession of a new member to WTO are held within a working party, uniting countries that have unsettled trade issues with a candidate country. The meeting is expected to approve the Russia’s draft accession document, a voluminous report detailing conditions for joining the organization.
“We have also agreed to the text of the working party report on Russia’s accession, which relates its WTO related commitments to Georgia,” Kapanadze said.
Stichworte: Georgien, Abchasien, Süd-Ossetien, Russland, Krieg-2008, Sprache: deutsch, englisch, Archiv: #
