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Putin Orders New Russian Mission to WTO Swiss Headquarters

The headquarters of the WTO in Geneva.

President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday ordered the creation of a permanent Russian mission to the Geneva headquarters of the World Trade Organization, or WTO, in a move aimed at improving Russia's working relations with the organization.

Putin will appoint the mission's chief, who will have two deputies, one from the Foreign Ministry and another from the Economic Development Ministry, according to the presidential decree published on the government's legal documents website.

No candidates for the three positions were specified.

The purpose of the mission is the "continued integration of the Russian Federation into the international trade system and ensuring effective relations with the World Trade Organization," the decree said.

Russia's admission into the WTO last year helped increase the country's competitiveness, Medvedev said last month, adding that Russia was yet to learn how to benefit fully from the membership, including a need to master conflict resolution procedures.

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