The Kazakhstan First Deputy Prime Minister, Daniyal Akhmetov, confirmed last week that the country is looking to join the World Trade Organization (WTO) at the same time as Russia and several other CIS (Commonwealth of Independent States) countries.

Speaking at a video press conference in Kazakhstan capital of Astana, the minister attributed his government’s decision to the ‘fairly strong and serious’ interdependence of the Russian and Kazakh economies.

Before joining the WTO, however, Kazakh industries would first require a ‘Period of Grace’ the minister said, allowing them to adjust to the new, more competitive trading conditions entailed by WTO membership.

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