Ambassador Kirk and Russia's First Deputy Prime Minister Igor Shuvalov held a cordial and productive meeting Monday morning at the Office of the United State Trade Representative. At the meeting, the two leaders discussed multilateral and bilateral trade issues involving the United States and Russia, including concerns regarding U.S. exports of agricultural products, protection of intellectual property rights, and licensing procedures for certain information technology products.
Ambassador Kirk and First Deputy Prime Minister Shuvalov discussed Russia's ongoing efforts to join the World Trade Organization (WTO). Ambassador Kirk welcomed Mr. Shuvalov's clarification of Russia's aspirations with regard to WTO accession and operation of its overall trade regime, and reiterated that the United States continues to support Russia's individual accession to the WTO and will continue to provide constructive support to achieve that goal. Ambassador Kirk welcomed the prospect of renewed engagement with Russia on its WTO accession negotiations following a period of uncertainty regarding Russia's intentions. However, he again noted that progress in these multilateral negotiations has always depended and will still depend on Russia's dedication and work toward that end.
