Connecticut”™s Sen. Chris Murphy and Sen. Todd Young (R-IN), respectively the chairman and ranking member of the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Subcommittee on Near East, South Asia, Central Asia and Counterterrorism, have co-introduced legislation designed to end Cold War-era trade restrictions for three Central Asian nations ”“ Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan and Tajikistan ”“ and grant those countries permanent normal trade relations (PNTR) status.
The senators are seeking to rescind restrictions created by the 1974 Jackson-Vanik amendment that denied U.S. trade relations to countries that limited emigration rights for Soviet Jews and other minority groups. After the collapse of the Soviet Union, Congress has passed legislation that extended PNTR status to many former Soviet states, including Russia and Ukraine, yet Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan and Tajikistan have yet to receive this status despite complying with the Jackson-Vanik amendment.
“As Russia and China”™s influence on Central Asia begins to wane, a Cold War-era relic could cost the United States an important opportunity to redefine our relationship with the region,” Murphy said. “Once a useful tool to coerce the Soviet Union into improving its treatment of Soviet Jews and minority groups, today the Jackson-Vanik amendment is an outdated trade policy that is holding back our partnerships with Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, and Tajikistan. This bipartisan legislation would advance our economic interests while sending a clear message that the United States is committed to bringing our relationship with Central Asia into the 21st century.”
