YEREVAN. – Least developed countries would not be required to make new restrictions in supporting their producers within the World Trade Organization, the WTO’s spokesman Keith Rockwell told the media in London.

Commenting from the WTO’s headquarters in Geneva, on Organization’s ministerial conference in Nairobi, Keya, due on 15 – 18 December 2015, he said that one of the most acute discussions is expected to unfold on agriculture subsidies. Representatives of national governments are to determine not exact caps, but anyway certain brackets for support policies, on which they will try to find common ground.

The discussion is expected to focus on large agricultural enterprises, rather than subsistence farmers. There is an understanding that these cannot be targeted in least developing countries, he added.

Another issue will be streamlining cross-border trade by removing undue barriers. This could save at least 1 trillion dollars for businesses across the globe. In particular, costs of doing business in the developing world could be slashed by a significant 14%.

Speaking on Iran, which earlier in the year reached a game-changing comprehensive agreement on its nuclear program, Mr Rockwell reminded that the application of Tehran to join the WTO is still pending since 2005, when a decision was made on a taskforce to study it.

Because of factors unrelated to the WTO it was never assembled.

“But we’ve been watching very closely. We have not been notified of any government’s intention to initiate these negotiations, but we are very sensitive and listening very attentively for that moment to come,” he concluded.