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Mahmud Mammadguliyev: Azerbaijan will protect its position in WTO accession talks

20 February 2009 17:14 (UTC +04:00)

Baku. Nijat Mustafayev â€“ APA-Economics. Azerbaijan will protect its position in WTO accession talks, said Mahmud Mammadguliyev, Azerbaijanâ€™s Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs.
According to him, Azerbaijan doesnâ€™t agree with the WTO proposal to cut agricultural subsidies to below 10%.
â€œBesides, the WTO sees Azerbaijanâ€™s bound rates for 1 500 goods too high and offers us to reduce the rates,â€ he added.
In addition, the WTO requires the opening of direct affiliates of foreign financial institutions in Azerbaijan.
â€œWe are also negotiating on a number of fields, including ICVT, transport, energy and other sectors,â€ he added.
In his words, some countries like India and Sri Lanka want to open relations with Azerbaijan for tea-growing but Azerbaijan doesnâ€™t agree because it wants to protect the domestic production,â€ he added.
Azerbaijan was granted observer status in the WTO in 1997.