Canada Asks Moscow to Drop Trade Barriers

(Moscow Times)

Canada urged Russia and other G20 countries on Friday to unwind trade barriers erected during the financial crisis as part of a G20 pledge favoring free trade to support the global economic recovery.

Trade Minister Peter Van Loan said in an interview that leaders from the Group of 20 emerging and advanced economies meeting in Toronto should be held accountable for their promise not to adopt protectionist measures, endorsed at the Pittsburgh summit in September.

“So I hope there will be a commitment by countries that are appearing here who have instituted protectionist measures, such as Russia with their tariffs, to actually roll them back and adhere to those commitments,” Van Loan said.

When asked about measures taken by others, such as the European Union or the United States, Van Loan said it was more difficult to take countries to task over non-tariff trade obstacles. Read more here.