ALMATY, Dec. 10 (Xinhua) -- Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev said Monday that his country hopes to complete talks on joining the World Trade Organization (WTO) early in 2008.

    Nazarbayev made the remarks at a meeting with delegates of diplomatic missions in the Central Asian nation, according to the president's official website.

    In view of the rapid development of bilateral trade and economic relations, Kazakhstan hopes that the United States, the European Union, Australia, India and Mongolia will support its WTO membership bid, he said.

    The president added that Kazakhstan will join the organization under conditions of mutual benefit in accordance with its strategic and economic interests.

    Kazakhstan submitted an application for WTO membership in 1996.