Turkey promises to help dictator with WTO accession

Turkey is ready to facilitate Belarus's entry into the World Trade Organization, Turkish foreign minister Ahmet Davutoğlu said.

“Turkey attaches great importance to Belarus's integration into the world economic community. We are ready render assistance in Belarus's WTO accession,” the Turkish foreign minister said in Minsk on Friday after talks with his Belarusian counterpart Uladzimir Makei, Interfax new agency reports.

The minister reminded that Turkey was the first state to recognise the sovereignty of Belarus. “It is a great honour for me to be the first foreign minister of Turkey who visits your republic,”  Davutoğlu said.

“We have had an absolutely open and sincere discussion of a range of political and economic issues,” the Turkish foreign minister noted.

“Turkey hopes that Belarus will become a full-fledged member of the world community,” Davutoğlu added.

Turkey's foreign affairs chief noted confidently that “Belarus's strategic location is an important  point for carrying out reforms”.

Belarus and Turkey agreed on visa-free travel between the countries.

“The preparation and signing of these agreements were initiated after Alyaksandr Lukashenka's talks with Turkey's leadership in 2010,” Belarusian foreign minister Uladzimir Makei said.

He emphasised the importance of the agreements and added that citizens of both counties are allowed staying in Belarus and Turkey for “up to 30 days in one trip or 90 days per year”.

“We hope the step will raise the number of Turkish citizens visiting Belarus as tourists,” the Belarusian minister said.

The Turkish minister expressed his confidence that signing the agreements on visa-free travel “will increase tourists flows in both directions”. “It is a historically significant document,” Davutoğlu said.

It should be reminded that in October 2012 Lukashenka announced the country's readiness to join the WTO and complained about obstacles created by the EU and the US.

Belarus cannot become a member of the WTO due to political prisoners and human rights violations in the country.