Azerbaijan, Baku / Тrend corr S. Ilhamgizi / Azerbaijan cannot raise the issue of signing an agreement with the European Union (EU) on free trade. The EU considers that first of all Azerbaijan has to enter the World Trade Organization (WTO), and only after that will it be possible to talk about signing the agreement, the Azerbaijani Deputy Foreign Minister and head of talking group on Azerbaijan's entering WTO, Mahmoud Mammadguliyev, reported on 18 July.
According to Mammadguliyev, the process of Azerbaijan's entering WTO is not too far away, but it is necessary to bring several fields of economy in Azerbaijan close to WTO standards. He believes the process can be speeded up.
"The principles of the WTO require elimination acrimony in the economic sphere and retaining liberal values. If we enter the WTO, prices in Azerbaijan may drop due to a growth of competition," Mammadguliyev said.