Opinions & Interviews

MINSK, 22 March (BelTA) – There is a need to use new opportunities to reinvigorate the negotiating process on Belarus’ accession to the WTO, Mr Christophe Durand, an analyst at the ITC's Market Analysis and Research Section, told media during the workshop on Market Access Map and Trade Map databases which is running at the Belarusian Ministry of Foreign Affairs on 22 March, BelTA has learned.

“When we speak about the WTO accession, we need to understand that the matter is not just about the barriers and tariffs, but also about the need to have a clear idea about the flows of goods and the opportunities for international trade. I am here to explain to all stakeholders of the negotiating process what opportunities and tools exist for this,” Mr Christophe Durand said. He explained that stakeholders include not only governments of the states seeking the WTO membership, but also companies interested in diversification of international trade.

“At the World Trade Center we have developed tools that enable these companies to get access to absolutely all information, including the opportunities, barriers and tariffs in international trade. For our part, by using these tools we can understand whether Belarus is in a favorable or unfavorable situation relative to its competitors. All this will eventually help understand what barriers and tariffs you need to work on in the process of accession to the WTO,” Mr Christophe Durand said.