Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, the Director-General of the World Trade Organisation (WTO), urged Bosnia and Herzegovina to meet two remaining conditions by end of October, so it can be named the WTO's full member at the General Assembly session on November 30.

Okonjo-Iweala talked to Bosnian Foreign Trade Minister Stasa Kosarac on Tuesday and told him it would be “desirable” if BiH adopted a regulation on the quality of petroleum liquid fuels by end of August and to complete bilateral talks with the Russian Federation by end of October so that the country could join the WTO as a full member on November 30 in the WTO General Assembly session.

She said Bosnia and Herzegovina was way ahead of other countries in the accession process and she expressed full support for that goal.

Kosarac told the WTO the full membership is Bosnia's absolute priority.

“We are fully devoted to the implementation of this goal, because the WTO membership means lots of benefit for the domestic economy, mostly from the aspect of easier access to foreign markets under the equal conditions,” he said.

He informed Okonjo-Iweala about the steps that the foreign trade ministry took to meet the conditions for the WTO membership, recalling that BiH has so far concluded bilateral talks with 17 member states and that the completion of talks with Russia depends on the regulations on the quality of petroleum liquid fuels. Also, BiH needs to solve the open issue of so-called trading rights with representatives of the USA.