12/20/2012
Washington, D.C. — United States Trade Representative Ron Kirk today welcomed the proclamation, signed by President Obama, which extends permanent normal trade relations (PNTR) to Russia and Moldova. Last week, President Obama signed into law the Russia and Moldova Jackson-Vanik Repeal and Sergei Magnitsky Rule of Law Accountability Act of 2012, which lifts the application of the Jackson-Vanik Amendment to Russia and Moldova and authorizes the President to extend PNTR to those countries.
“Today marks an important step toward increasing U.S. exports of goods and services into the markets of Russia and Moldova, supporting jobs for Americans here at home,” said Ambassador Kirk. “In particular, President Obama’s extension of permanent normal trade relations puts our trade and investment relationship with Russia on a par with our other trading partners. We can now move to apply the WTO Agreement between the United States and Russia, giving the United States the benefits of Russia’s WTO commitments and the tools to enforce them.”
