DUSHANBE, October 24, 2011, Asia-Plus — In a report released at a news conference in Dushanbe, Tajik Foreign Minister Hamrokhon Zarifi noted on October 22 that President Emomali Rahmon and U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton discussed issues related to attraction of the U.S. investments and technologies for development of Tajikistan’s natural resources.
According to him, the sides also considered issues related to expansion of bilateral cooperation between Tajikistan and the United States in the field of energy as the main foundation for sustainable development of Tajikistan.
“The Tajik side expressed readiness to continue constructive dialogue with the United States over Tajikistan’s admission to the World Trade Organization,” Tajik minister noted.
Zarifi stressed that Tajikistan’s graduation from the Jackson–Vanik amendment was recognized as an important factor of development of trade relations.
The Jackson–Vanik amendment is a 1974 provision in United States federal law, intended to affect U.S. trade relations with countries with non-market economies (originally, countries of the Communist bloc) that restrict freedom of emigration and other human rights. It was a response to the Soviet Union”s “diploma taxes” levied on Jews attempting to emigrate.
The amendment, named after its major co-sponsors Henry M. “Scoop” Jackson of Washington in the Senate and Charles Vanik of Ohio in the House of Representatives, both Democrats, is contained in Title IV of the 1974 Trade Act. The amendment passed both houses of the United States Congress unanimously. President Gerald Ford signed the bill into law with the adopted amendment on January 3, 1975. It remains to be valid, though it has been regularly granted a waiver vis-a-vis the Russian Federation. In 2011, U.S. Vice President Joe Biden urged a repeal of the law.
The amendment denies most favored nation status to certain countries with non-market economies that restrict emigration, which is considered a human right. Permanent normal trade relations can be extended to a country subject to the law only if the President determines that it complies with the freedom of emigration requirements of the amendment. However, the President has the authority to grant a yearly waiver to the provisions of Jackson-Vanik, and these waivers were granted to the People”s Republic of China starting in the late 1970s and later to Vietnam.
