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UNCTAD supports Belarus at WTO accession talks

The UNCTAD supports Belarus at the WTO accession talks. The statement to this effect was made during a meeting between Prime Minister of Belarus Sergei Sidorsky and UNCTAD Secretary General Dr. Supachai Panitchpakdi. The Prime Minister of Belarus thanked Dr. Supachai Panitchpakdi for his personal support of Belarus during the WTO accession talks. Sergei Sidorsky also noted the role of the UNCTAD in helping Belarus intensify its exports to foreign markets. According to him, Belarus attaches a priority attention to the development of foreign trade. The UNCTAD is a key organization supporting international projects in trade. The Prime Minister of Belarus singled out a rage of cooperation areas with the UNCTAD member states. For example Belarus has recently increased fivefold the trade with China by developing the trade in high-tech products. Sergei Sidorsky noted that the Belarusian tractors are sold in the PRC now as a Chinese brand. The Premier stressed the importance of cooperation of Belarus with India and Egypt: the trade with these countries has recently grown 2 or 3 times. The Premier noted the high level of relations with India in high-tech area. Another important direction is the Latin American market. Belarus has started active cooperation with Venezuela. Sergei Sidorsky noted a special role of the UNCTAD which takes measures to develop cooperation with all developing countries. For Belarus these countries are also a priority in trade, the Premier said. In turn, Dr. Supachai Panitchpakdi thanked Sergei Sidorsky for the invitation to visit Belarus. This is the first official visit of the UNCTAD Secretary General to Belarus. “We want to give a clear signal that the UNCTAD will be dealing with the problems of Belarus and other countries which are carrying out economic reforms,” Dr. Supachai Panitchpakdi said. He praised Belarus’ efforts to integrate into the world economy. The Secretary General informed about the UN Conference in Ghana in 2008.This will be the second stage of globalization, in which developing countries will be playing a more important role, Supachai Panitchpakdi underlined. Special attention will be paid at this press conference to transition economies, he noted. Cooperation with the UNCTAD is one of the priority directions of Belarus’ participation in the activity of international financial and economic organizations. Belarus was one of the initiators of the conference and has been a conference member since its founding (1964). In June 2004 in Brazil Belarus was elected a vice-chair of the conference at the 11th session of the UNCTAD (permanent representative of Belarus in the UN Office and other international organizations in Geneva Sergei Aleinik). On a permanent basis representatives of Belarus take part in sessions of the UNCTAD Council on Trade and Development, commissions and meetings of experts. Belarus pays considerable attention to the intergovernmental dialogue carried on within the framework of the UNCTAD and considers this dialogue to be an opportunity to attract the attention of the international community to the problems of development of transition economies. At the suggestion of Belarus the UNCTAD Council on Trade and Development recognized an important role of the state in the process of liberalizing economy including creation of conditions for enhancing the competitive power of local companies inside the country as regards transnational companies and for minimizing social consequences of reforms. Belarus has been actively using the UNCTAD as a global forum to discuss international trade issues. The UNCTAD unique information basis, its analytical developments and orientation towards the exchange of national experience give Belarus an opportunity to use the latest experience of settling issues relating to international economic integration, foreign trade, investments and finances. In 1994-2001 Belarus and the UNCTAD implemented three projects of technical assistance: development of the potential to create export-oriented scientific developments and high technologies (1994, the project worth of $344 thousand), the strengthening of the national potential in the sphere of external debt management (1995-2001, $77 thousand) and support at the talks on Belarus’ joining the WTO (1994-2001, $93 thousand).