Kazakhstan Suspends WTO Talks, Seeks Joint Membership

QOSTANAY, Kazakhstan -- Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbaev says his country has suspended talks on membership in the World Trade Organization (WTO), RFE/RL's Kazakh Service reports.

Speaking at a session of the Foreign Investors' Council in the Kazakh city of Qostanay, Nazarbayev said the talks were suspended because of Kazakhstan’s decision to seek WTO membership together with Russia and Belarus as a single Customs Union.

The prime ministers of Belarus, Kazakhstan, and Russia reached the decision on June 9 to seek joint membership of the WTO.