Algeria keen to join World Trade Organisation

Algeria is keen to continue negotiations with the World Trade Organisation over the country’s bid to join the body in a way that serves its national interests.

Algerian Minister of Trade Bakhti Belaib yesterday praised the WTO’s decision to hold technical workshops in Algeria to support the negotiations process. In a statement he noted that such a move would help provide a clear vision of the future of negotiations, which would, in turn, speed up the procedures of Algeria’s accession to the WTO.

WTO representative Gretchen Stanton said that Algeria has made great strides in the negotiations process despite the change in the pace of negotiations from time to time.

“I see that the negotiation process has made great strides but each time it stops. There are periods of silence,” Algeria Press Service quoted her saying.

Stanton said that she hopes the negotiations will progress faster in the future, noting that bilateral negotiations with WTO member states on the accession file are witnessing slow progress.

Negotiations between Algeria and the WTO over the country’s accession started in 1987. Algerians fear that accession to the trade-regulating organisation could turn their country into a market for international industrial products in light of weak competition from domestic products.

According to observers, Algeria would be totally marginalised by the multilateral trade organisation because Algeria cannot be an effective trade partner under the WTO’s umbrella because, with a small number of exports, it would only become a consumer of imported products.