23/11/2010 (Agence Europe) - Russian accession to WTO. Negotiations on Russia's accession to the WTO will be at the heart of discussions at the meeting in Brussels on Wednesday 24 November, between Trade Commissioner Karel De Gught and Russian Deputy Prime Minister Igor Shuvalov. Russian President Dmitri Medvedev, determined to see his country become a member of the WTO before the end of 2011, charged Shuvalov in mid-November with speeding up discussions to find solutions to the unresolved bilateral issues with the EU, including the thorny matter of Russian export duties on timber. Both the EU and Russian sides would like to conclude their bilateral WTO discussions before their annual summit in Brussels on 7 December. (E.H./transl.rt)