Iranian Official Highlights Importance of Joining WTO

An Iranian official has stressed that Iran must join the World Trade Organization (WTO) in order to compete in the international market and attend the decision-making process of the world economy.

"Joining the WTO is not a choice but a definite requirement," said Morteza Damanpakjami, director for multilateral economic cooperation at Iran's Foreign Ministry, cited by the Iran News daily on Monday, December 25.

The official said that Iran should approach the WTO in an active and positive manner in order to extensively benefit from its membership.

"If we miss this golden opportunity, we will lose our genuine possibility for truly joining the international market," he added.

Damanpakjami said Tehran first filed its application for WTO membership in 1996, but a "hostile country" (the United States) prevented the application to be put on the WTO agenda.

The US move was "discriminatory and biased and contradicts WTO's own slogan for globalization," he said.

Iran submitted another membership application in 1999 and has been persistently following up the case ever since, he noted, expressing hope that the new application would be put on the WTO agenda in the not too distant future.

The official criticized relevant domestic organizations for their inability to mobilize enough support for WTO membership. He also complained about the lack of domestic consensus and unanimity for joining the world trade body.

"We are currently faced with various views on the pros and cons of joining or not joining the WTO in both the government and private sectors," he said, adding that even some parliament members are not aware of the importance and significance of WTO membership.

He urged government departments to make necessary economic reforms, including scrapping the noncompetitive sectors of the economy, in the drive for WTO membership so that Iran could be definitely present at WTO debates and affect the decision-making process in the organization.






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