Yemen has reached an agreement on Wednesday with Ukraine to end its objection about Yemen's accession to the World Trade Organization (WTO).
The Yemeni News Agency (Saba) quoted a Yemeni diplomat in Geneva as saying that Minister of Industry and Trade Saad Al-Din Bin Talib reached an agreement with Ukraine.
The diplomat further said that the General Council of WTO will be briefed on Wednesday on the agreement, pointing out that Yemen will complete all its technical procedures of accession during the few coming days.
Ukraine posed a stumbling block before Yemen's accession to WTO as 154 members agreed to the accession after 12 years of accession application.
Ukraine has circulated a letter among WTO members on Monday in which it said that it was subjected to “inappropriate” pressure to consent to Yemen's membership, amounting to “interference” in the process.
While the WTO's 154 other members are ready to let Yemen join after 12 years after it first applied for membership, Ukraine still opposes the joining.
According to the Independent, many trade diplomats say they are puzzled by Ukraine's stance as it has little or no trade with Yemen. They say its stance forms part of a wider pattern of behavior involving aggressive tactics.
Under the WTO rules, candidates for membership in the organization should hold bilateral talks with each member which has the right to put forward conditions in line with its economic goals and ambitions. The rules, however, urge the members to help the least developed countries enter smoothly.