Ukraine became the 152-nd country, which joined the World Trade Organization on Friday after long14 years of held negotiations, getting in ahead of larger neighbor Russia and committing the former Soviet republic to economic reforms and opening new trade channels.

Experts hope for appearance of new economic ties to boost chiefly agricultural, chemical and metals exports.

A membership protocol was ratified by the Ukrainian parliament last month officially came into effect on Friday, according to a statement from President Viktor Yushchenko's secretariat.

Over the 14 years of negotiations as for Ukraine's access to WTO, Ukraine implemented a range of economic reforms and amended more than 50 laws to bring the country into line with WTO norms. Membership obliges Kyiv to keep providing further reforms.

Many people believe that inclusion of Russia to WTO would be profitable for Ukraine because it would prevent Moscow from applying tariffs that are against WTO rules.

Major Ukrainian exports to Russia include spirits, oil, sugar and different raw materials.

President of Ukraine Viktor Yushchenko promised that Ukraine would not unfairly utilize its new position inside the WTO to damage Russia's 15-year accession bid.

"I would warn of an aggravation of relations" if Ukraine were to block Russia's entry, said Kostantyn Kuznetsov, an economic analyst at the Kiev-based Razumkov think tank. "That would be "not right ... and a way that leads nowhere."

Ukraine was formally invited to join the global trading organization on February, 5, 2008.