MOSCOW, April 13 (Xinhua) -- Russia joined the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) early this month, Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement on Thursday.

    The Ambassador of Russia in Italy handed on April 11 to FAO Director General Jacques Diouf a notification that the Russian Federation has officially joined the organization as of April 3, 2006, the statement said.

    Joining the FAO meets the interests of "Russia's growing economy". Russia now acquires new channels of international cooperation: the possibility to use FAO experts' consultations, the training of agriculture, forestry and fisheries specialists and etc.

    According to the ministry, membership of the FAO has a great significance for Russia also from the vantage point of current negotiations on entry into the World Trade Organization (WTO), since member countries' intergovernmental agreements on agriculture and food have to go through a preliminary examination by joint groups of WTO/FAO.

    FAO was founded on Oct. 16, 1945 to tackle world food problems with 46 states as its founders, including the Soviet Union, which were held back from joining the organization for a number of political and economic reasons.

    Russia had the status of observer until now. Due to the instability of the financial and economic situation in the country as well as other factors, Russia's joining the FAO was delayed over the last 10 years, which saw a growing need for joining the organization.

    Following Russia's admission, the Rome-based organization grouping 189 countries and one member organization, the European Community. Enditem