At the event (Source: AFP) Buenos Aires (VNA) - The 11th World Trade Organization (WTO) Ministerial Conference concluded in BuenosAires, Argentina on December 13 with no substantial agreements reached after fourdays of debate.
Speaking to a press conference following theclosing session, WTO Director General Roberto Azevedo expressed hisdisappointment about the gathering of 164 WTO members, but also acknowledgedsome progress had been made, and the work will continue.
Azevedo admitted that there was no outcomein the field of agriculture, one of the main topics on the agenda at theconference.
Some 20 proposals were put forward to curbagricultural subsidies and other measures considered as counter-free-trade, butnone were agreed on.
Former Argentine Foreign Minister SusanaMalcorra, who served as president of this conference, said it was a verycomplex conference with different outlooks which took place at a watershedmoment for international trade.
At the session, Vietnamese Deputy Minister of Industry and Trade Tran Quoc Khanh affirmed Vietnam’s commitment tomultilateral trade and lauded the WTO’s role.
According to him, under the Da NangDeclaration reached by Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) economiesduring the APEC Economic Leaders’ Week in November in Da Nang, membersexpressed desire to cooperate in improving the WTO’s operations, includingmechanisms for negotiation and dispute supervision and settlement.
It was the first time the biennial WTOMinisterial Conference was held in South America, attracting more than 4,000delegates from 164 member countries.
Some 180 ministers discussed five keytopics, including food security, agricultural development, fisheries subsidies,e-commerce and tariffs on industrial products. They also looked into thedevelopment of small and medium-sized enterprises, investment attraction, tradeand environment protection.-VNA
Speaking to a press conference following theclosing session, WTO Director General Roberto Azevedo expressed hisdisappointment about the gathering of 164 WTO members, but also acknowledgedsome progress had been made, and the work will continue.
Azevedo admitted that there was no outcomein the field of agriculture, one of the main topics on the agenda at theconference.
Some 20 proposals were put forward to curbagricultural subsidies and other measures considered as counter-free-trade, butnone were agreed on.
Former Argentine Foreign Minister SusanaMalcorra, who served as president of this conference, said it was a verycomplex conference with different outlooks which took place at a watershedmoment for international trade.
At the session, Vietnamese Deputy Minister of Industry and Trade Tran Quoc Khanh affirmed Vietnam’s commitment tomultilateral trade and lauded the WTO’s role.
According to him, under the Da NangDeclaration reached by Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) economiesduring the APEC Economic Leaders’ Week in November in Da Nang, membersexpressed desire to cooperate in improving the WTO’s operations, includingmechanisms for negotiation and dispute supervision and settlement.
It was the first time the biennial WTOMinisterial Conference was held in South America, attracting more than 4,000delegates from 164 member countries.
Some 180 ministers discussed five keytopics, including food security, agricultural development, fisheries subsidies,e-commerce and tariffs on industrial products. They also looked into thedevelopment of small and medium-sized enterprises, investment attraction, tradeand environment protection.-VNA
VNA
