Azernews.Az

A Russian official has said that Georgian demands that Russia stop recognizing some Georgian territories as independent states in exchange for its backing of Russian entry into the World Trade Organization are "impossible", Radio Liberty reported.

Arkady Dvorkovich, an assistant to Russian President Dmitry Medevedev said that Russia will never complete negotiations on WTO with Georgia and that Georgian demands "aren't connected with the WTO at all, and we will never accept them."

Dvorkovich's comments came as Russian and Georgian negotiators were scheduled to meet to discuss under what terms Georgia, a WTO member, would agree to Russian accession into WTO.

A country may join the WTO only if all existing members resolve bilateral disputes.

Georgia is insisting that Moscow reverse its position that the Georgian regions Abkhazia and South Ossetia are independent states, before it approves Russia's entrance into the WTO.

Meanwhile, the speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives, John Boehner, said the border dispute between Russia and the ex-Soviet state Georgia must be settled before the question of Russia's bid to join the World Trade Organization can be even considered.