U.S. Congress moves to repeal Jackson Vanik and expand trade with Central Asia
U.S. senators and representatives have introduced two identical bills in the Senate and the House of Representatives to grant permanent normal trade relations, or PNTR, to Central Asian countries, Kazinform News Agency correspondent reports.
Senator Steve Daines, a Republican from Montana, announced that his resolution marking ten years of expanding cooperation between the United States and Central Asia was approved by the Senate last night. The resolution was co-sponsored by Senators Gary Peters, a Democrat from Michigan, Jim Risch, a Republican from Idaho, Chris Murphy, a Democrat from Connecticut, David McCormick, a Republican from Pennsylvania, and Jacky Rosen, a Democrat from Nevada.
The bill is titled “S.3103 – A bill to authorize the extension of nondiscriminatory treatment (normal trade relations treatment) to products of certain countries,” which allows the application of normal trade relations status to goods from specific nations.
“Central Asia is a strategically critical region, and since the launch of the C5+1 in 2015, we’ve made substantial progress in deepening the relationships between the U.S. and the five Central Asian nations of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan. I’ve travelled to all five Central Asian countries and have a deep appreciation for our mutual goals, including increased trade and national security. I’m proud that my resolution commemorating ten years of C5+1 passed the U.S. Senate and look forward to the continuation of our partnerships,” said Daines.
In the House of Representatives, the bill was introduced by Congresswoman Carol Miller, a Republican from West Virginia, and Congressman Jimmy Panetta, a Democrat from California. The document is titled “All Information (Except Text) for H.R.5917 – To authorize the extension of nondiscriminatory treatment (normal trade relations treatment) to products of certain countries,” allowing for the application of normal trade relations status to goods from certain nations.
During a reception at the U.S. State Department for the foreign ministers of Central Asian countries, Senator Jim Risch said he had joined Senator Steve Daines and other colleagues this week to introduce legislation that would remove outdated barriers to expanding economic cooperation with C5+1 partners by lifting the restrictions of the Jackson–Vanik amendment.
Earlier, Kazinform News Agency reported that the U.S. Senate again failed to pass a temporary funding bill, marking the 14th unsuccessful attempt.
