U.S. vows to repeal Jackson-Vanik amendment for Tajikistan and Kazakhstan
DUSHANBE. Feb 21 (Interfax) - The United States could agree to waive the application of the Jackson-Vanik amendment for countries that will soon enter the World Trade Organization (WTO), U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asian Affairs Robert O. Blake, Jr., told journalists on Thursday.
The amendment will soon be repealed for Tajikistan and Kazakhstan, which are expected to join the WTO before the end of the year, he said.
Several states in this region have improved their standing with regard to the Jackson-Vanik amendment, Blake said at a press conference in Tajikistan.
Tajikistan is expected to become a full-fledged WTO member in March, and Kazakhstan is set to join the organization before the end of 2013, he said.
As soon as it happens, the United States will review its attitude and will decide whether to waive the Jackson-Vanik amendment for these states, Blake said.
The Jackson-Vanik amendment is a 1974 provision in U.S. federal law, intended to affect U.S. trade relations with countries having non-market economies that restrict freedom of emigration and other human rights. The authors of the amendment are Congressmen Henry Jackson of Washington and Charles Vanik of Ohio. After the Soviet collapse, the amendment was automatically applied to all former Soviet republics, with the exception of the Baltic states.
The amendment was repealed for Russia after it joined the WTO in August 2012. It was earlier repealed for Kyrgyzstan, Armenia and Ukraine.
