To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what meetings he has had on the possible accession to the World Trade Organisation of (a) Ukraine and (b) the Russian Federation. (113845)

I am replying as the Minister responsible for issues concerning WTO accession negotiations. On 14 September 2006 I met Deputy Minister Maxim Medvedkov of the Ministry of Economic Development and Russia's chief negotiator on WTO accession, to discuss Russia's progress towards their accession to the WTO. In addition, during 2006 DTI Ministers had a number of contacts with officials, UK business, EU ministerial colleagues and other contacts at which issues related to Russian or Ukrainian WTO accession would have been raised together with a range of other issues relevant to the business of the Department.