Russian Constitutional Court Backs WTO Membership

Russia's Constitutional Court cleared the path for lawmakers to approve membership of the WTO by ruling that joining the world free trade club was legal and in line with the country's basic law. "The protocol was signed and approved in accordance with a procedure that does not contradict the state's constitutional order," Interfax quoted the Constitutional Court judgement as saying. The ruling on a Communist Party bid to block World Trade Organisation membership enables the State Duma (lower house of parliament) to proceed with the legislation after 18 years of tense negotiations between Russia and the WTO. Russia became the world's largest economy outside the trade group upon China's accession in 2001.

http://www.france24.com/en/20120709-russias-top-court-backs-wto-membership
http://www.lenta.ru/news/2012/07/09/wto/