Samoa, Montenegro welcomed into the fold

The WTO also welcomed Samoa and Montenegro into their ranks on Saturday, just a day after the ministerial conference had approved the accession protocol of Russia.

Montenegro, which started its accession process seven years ago, will gain visibility in global affairs and trade as a result of joining the WTO, the country’s prime minister, Igor Lukšiæ, said.

Meanwhile, Samoa is the fifth least developed country to join the global trade body since 1995 - in its case after a 13-year wait. During the accession ceremony, Lamy underscored the difficulties LDCs face in accession, noting that technical assistance and capacity building are essential to “empower countries like Samoa to be in a position to negotiate trade rules.”