The Tribune

The Minister of Financial Services has held bilateral talks on how the Bahamas will accede to full World Trade Organisation (WTO) membership with the latter’s director-general, Pascal Lamy.

Ryan Pinder discussed with him the steps taken by the Government since its second accession Working Party Meeting with members of the WTO in Geneva inJune 2012, and the preparations being made for the third Working Party meeting scheduled for March 2013.

The Working Party meetings are the forum in which WTO members collectively scrutinise an a country’s domestic trade regime. Bilateral negotiations between the Bahamas and other member countries also come from these meetings.

Mr Pinder said the Government had made major strides on its trade legislative agenda, particularly on intellectual property, sanitary and phytosantiary measures, tariffs, anti-dumping measures and investment transparency.

He added that the Government had moved to create greater public awareness and education onthe WTO accession process, through workshops and planned symposiums.

Mr Lamy noted the momentum that had been created in the Bahamas’ bid to accede to the WTO. He complimented the country on the progress being made, and stressed the importance of creating the necessary legislative framework to support the Bahamas’ bid.

Minister Pinder was accompanied by the acting director of trade and industry in the Ministry of Financial Services, Viana Gardiner, and the Charges D’Affaires in the Bahamas High Commission in London.