Minsk will still have to talk directly to the European Commission but Lithuania is ready to assist in helping the country secure membership said Lithuania’s Deputy Foreign Minister Raimundas Karoblis.
Karoblis said that Lithuania was ready to provide advice and technical assistance to Belarus in the accession process, as well as help in the implementation of reforms necessary for WTO membership. However, Lithuania has not yet received any calls for help from Belarus as yet, he said.
“The European Commission and Lithuania applauds the Belarusian initiative of resuming the WTO accession process, which had come to full stop for some time in the wake of the political sanctions against Belarus.
“Cancellation of the sanctions make it possible to resume and continue the accession process, although the stance of the European Commission and other key WTO members is that Belarus should first complete its homework necessary for the membership,” Karoblis told BNS Lithuania.
He said it was not possible at this point to estimate how long the WTO membership application process would take for Belarus.
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