Russia must defend own interests in WTO accession talks - Putin

Russia's WTO accession talks should not be used as a bargaining chip for issues unrelated to the activity of the world's top trade body, President Vladimir Putin said Wednesday.

MOSCOW, May 10 (RIA Novosti) - Russia's WTO accession talks should not be used as a bargaining chip for issues unrelated to the activity of the world's top trade body, President Vladimir Putin said Wednesday.

Despite hoping to finish negotiations with members of a 58-nation working party on its accession last year, Russia has still to sign bilateral agreements with Australia, Colombia, and the United States - and negotiations with the Americans are particularly slow going.

"We will hold [negotiations] only on conditions that fully take into account Russia's economic interests," Putin said in his annual state of the nation address. "It is obvious that our economy is more open than the economies of many member [countries] of this respected organization."

Republican Bill Frist, who led last month a delegation of U.S. senators to Moscow, said problems with democracy and Moscow's position regarding Iran's controversial nuclear program could affect Congress' decision on Russia's accession to the WTO.

Russia has repeatedly been accused of "democratic backsliding" in recent years by the West. On Iran, it has said it is unhappy with the idea of introducing sanctions through the UN Security Council against the Islamic Republic, which stands accused of pursuing a covert weapons program, a charge it denies.

Putin said Russia should increase its energy efficiency and develop its energy sector, and that it could also play a positive role in formation of a single European energy system.

"This is an issue of our [Russia's] competitiveness under conditions of integration into the world economy, an issue of quality of life and environmental security," he said. "Only this way can we secure for Russia leading stable positions on energy markets for a long-term perspective."

Russia has declared energy security its No. 1 priority issue as it holds the rotating chairmanship of the Group of Eight industrialized nations this year. Tensions have risen in recent months in Europe - which gets 25% of its gas supplies from Russia - over the intentions of state-owned energy giant Gazprom regarding European markets, and about increasing dependency for energy supplies on the country.