No more barriers in the way of Russia’s joining WTO Vladimir Putin and Angela Merkel. Photo: RIA Novosti Russia may join the World Trade Organization as early as in 2011, said Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin at a news conference in Berlin following his talks with the German Chancellor Angela Merkel. Almost all issues have been generally agreed, he said. Before that, Putin told German businessmen during a meeting that Russia had covered its part of the path and had agreed all basic problems with the European Union in practical terms. Russia has been pressing for WTO membership for 17 years now, which is a pretty long time; given that other countries seeking WTO membership rights negotiated the issue for no more than 6 to 7 years. But a major breakthrough with Russia’s key partners, the United States and the European Union, occurred in the past few months. Not even the new single economic area that Russia is building together with Belarus and Kazakhstan will prevent this country form joining the WTO, Vladimir Putin says, and elaborates. The rules, Vladimir Putin says, that we use to set up our trilateral common economic area are similar to the ones that the WTO abides by. This holds for markets, access to services, and the promotion of goods, labour force and capital. This will make it easier for Russia’s European partners, specifically German partners, to work in that common economic area. This will simplify our cooperation and will add dimension to it. So, both Russia and Europe will stand to gain. Vladimir Putin does not rule out the creation of a common EU-Russia currency union some time in the future. Such a union, Putin said, is a result of the combination of economies, and of the level of economic development. During his talks with the German Chancellor the Russian Prime Minister discussed at length the visa issue, which erects no end of barriers both for businessmen and people in general. Vladimir Putin urged that more energetic efforts be made to ensure progress towards a visa-free regime, and reiterated Russia’s readiness to abrogate visas for the EU citizens, but pointed out that the process should by no means prove unilateral. The European partners’ proposals for creating the so-called third energy package have raised eyebrows in Russia. Under the proposal, the gas seller should give up gas transportation. We certainly understand, Putin said, that the European colleagues seek to de-monopolize the market, which is basically correct. But this particular business is largely different from the transportation business as normally understood, Vladimir Putin said, and added this. The proposals made, Putin says, may prove harmful and dangerous to the so-called vertically integrated companies, which exist both in Russia and Germany. This is a reason for concern. Besides, we have so far got no explanations of the way these rule to regulate the energy market will function. Gas will be pumped into the Nord Stream pipes, but how will it be transported along the pipelines that Russia and Germany have paid for? After all, these pipes are our property, and yet we are not allowed to use them to transport gas. Who will use them then? Where from will they get natural gas in that pipe, if that gas is being pumped from Siberia? We should proceed from realities, and we hope that our European partners, including those in Brussels, will show understanding for this. We would like us all to act in keeping with the only rule, namely that of “Do No Harm”, Vladimir Putin said. Angela Merkel voiced hope for her part that all European partners would show flexibility in settling these issues. When summing up the results of her talks with Vladimir Putin, the German Chancellor said that the level of Russian-German economic relations is very high, and that German businessmen, and the German economy in general, appreciate cooperation with Russia