Moscow, Oct 19 (IANS/ITAR -TASS): The chief of Russia’s Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Sergey Katyrin, has said the fears Russia’s market would be flooded by foreign imports after the country’s accession to the WTO have proved largely unjustified.
"According to our early estimates, this important parameter has declined by 2.5 percent. The rate of import is at a record-low," Katyrin told President Vladimir Putin at a working meeting Friday.
Katyrin said the import of seafood has slumped 20 percent while the taxes have remained unchanged and no protectionist measures have been introduced.
Katyrin also drew the president's attention to the European Union's methodology to recalculate the prices of Russian goods, such as fuels, metal, pipes and fertilizers.
"Our products lose competitiveness," he said. "We believe that the government might take the corresponding steps within the WTO."