At the event (Source: AFP)
Speaking to a press conference
following the closing session, WTO Director General Roberto Azevedo expressed
his disappointment about the gathering of 164 WTO members, but also
acknowledged some progress had been made, and the work will continue.
Azevedo admitted that there was no outcome in the field of agriculture, one of
the main topics on the agenda at the conference.
Some 20 proposals were put forward to curb agricultural subsidies and other
measures considered as counter-free-trade, but none were agreed on.
Former Argentine Foreign Minister Susana Malcorra, who served as president of
this conference, said it was a very complex conference with different outlooks
which took place at a watershed moment for international trade.
At the session, Vietnamese Deputy Minister of Industry and Trade Tran Quoc
Khanh affirmed Vietnam’s commitment to multilateral trade and lauded the
WTO’s role.
According to him, under the Da Nang Declaration reached by Asia-Pacific
Economic Cooperation (APEC) economies during the APEC Economic Leaders’ Week in
November in Da Nang, members expressed desire to cooperate in improving the
WTO’s operations, including mechanisms for negotiation and dispute supervision
and settlement.
It was the first time the biennial WTO Ministerial Conference was held in South
America, attracting more than 4,000 delegates from 164 member countries.
Some 180 ministers discussed five key topics, including food security,
agricultural development, fisheries subsidies, e-commerce and tariffs on
industrial products. They also looked into the development of small and
medium-sized enterprises, investment attraction, trade and environment
protection.
Source: VNA
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