EU commissioner briefed on mine clearance efforts in liberated areas
European Union Commissioner for Enlargement, Marta Kos, visited the recently liberated village of Sarijali in Aghdam today. During her visit, she insp...
Trump’s nominee for secretary of state supports lifting the Jackson-Vanik amendment for Central Asia, a move that could reshape U.S. trade and diplomatic relations in the region. The policy shift signals a potential change in Washington’s approach to post-Soviet economies.
U.S. President-elect Donald Trump’s nominee for secretary of state says the Jackson-Vanik amendment, a 50-year-old law imposing some restrictions on trade with several countries in Central Asia, is “a relic of an era that’s past” and needs to be lifted.
U.S. Senator Marco Rubio, a Florida Republican who spoke during a confirmation hearing in the Senate Foreign Relations Committee on Wednesday said that the permanent removal will require legislative action.
“There are some that argue that we should use that as leverage for human rights concessions or leverage to get them to go stronger in our way as opposed to Russia and the like. But I think in some cases it’s an absurd relic of the past…. So, we will work on this cause I think it’s important,” - he said answering to Senator Steve Daines, a Montana Republican, highlighting Central Asia region as “a part of the world that is often neglected, but has such strategic importance.” Rubio added that Department of Commerce recognized Kazakhstan “a market economy”, and the country had already met the conditions.
Senator Chris Murphy stressed the strategic importance of Central Asia in U.S. foreign policy. He argued that repealing the amendment would signal Washington’s serious commitment to the region. While the amendment’s sanctions were effective in the past, Murphy noted they are now irrelevant to Kazakhstan, which fully complies with international norms.
Background
The Jackson-Vanik Amendment, originally designed to withhold permanent normal trade relations (PNTR) with non-market economies (NME) – primarily former republics of the Soviet Union - for its refusal to allow Jewish emigration, still applies to several US strategic partners in Central Asia, including Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan, despite its irrelevance.
In passing the measure in 1974, congress gave the president the authority to waive Jackson-Vanik restrictions for any given country on a yearly basis. Removing a country permanently from the Jackson-Vanik list requires an act of Congress.
Since 1991, Congress has passed legislation authorizing the President to determine that Jackson-Vanik should no longer apply to Albania, Armenia, Bulgaria, China, Czechoslovakia, Georgia, Hungary, the Kyrgyz Republic, Moldova, Mongolia, Romania, Russia, Ukraine, and Vietnam. Russia’s PNTR status was suspended in response to its 2022 invasion of Ukraine. Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan are certified as compliant and receive conditional NTR status, subject to annual review.
Turkmenistan receives temporary NTR status via a presidential waiver. Belarus previously received temporary NTR status under the waiver provision, but it was suspended in response to Belarus’s involvement in Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine. Cuba and North Korea currently do not receive NTR status.
AnewZ has learned that India has once again blocked Azerbaijan’s application for full membership in the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation, while Pakistan’s recent decision to consider diplomatic relations with Armenia has been coordinated with Baku as part of Azerbaijan’s peace agenda.
A day of mourning has been declared in Portugal to pay respect to victims who lost their lives in the Lisbon Funicular crash which happened on Wednesday evening.
A Polish Air Force pilot was killed on Thursday when an F-16 fighter jet crashed during a training flight ahead of the 2025 Radom International Air Show.
At least eight people have died and more than 90 others were injured following a catastrophic gas tanker explosion on a major highway in Mexico City’s Iztapalapa district on Wednesday, authorities confirmed.
European Union Commissioner for Enlargement, Marta Kos, visited the recently liberated village of Sarijali in Aghdam today. During her visit, she inspected mined areas and observed demining operations carried out by the Azerbaijan National Agency for Mine Action (ANAMA).
A meeting of the government leaders of Turkic Council (TCT) member states has begun in Bishkek, the Kyrgyz Cabinet of Ministers reported. Prior to the event, Adylbek Kasymaliyev, the Chairman of the Kyrgyz Cabinet and Head of the Presidential Administration, welcomed the heads of the delegations.
Azerbaijan’s Minister of Economy, Mikayil Jabbarov, has met with EU Commissioner for Enlargement and Neighbourhood, Marta Kos. The Ministry of Economy reported on the meeting.
Azerbaijan’s Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov met in Baku with the European Union Commissioner for Enlargement, Marta Kos. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs reported on the meeting.
Iran and Saudi Arabia – the two power houses in the Middle East -- have decided to advance their bilateral economic and defense ties and to increase cooperation in relation to the regional developments according to Iran’ security chief Ali Larijani.
You can download the AnewZ application from Play Store and the App Store.
What is your opinion on this topic?
Leave the first comment