News

Senate passes PNTR for Russia

On a 92-to-4 vote, the Senate has passed Permanent Normal Trade Relations (PNTR) status for Russia. The measure eliminates Cold War-era trade restrictions and allows U.S. interests to take full advantage of Russia’s membership in the World Trade Organization. The bill also grants PNTR to Moldova. The House passed the bill 365-to-43 last month; it now goes to the President for his signature. Once signed, it also allows the U.S. to use the WTO dispute settlement system to challenge Russian trade actions which unfairly restrict U.S. trade.

American Farm Bureau president Bob Stallman applauded the passage saying; “America’s farmers and ranchers will have more certain and predictable market access as a result of Russia’s commitment not to raise tariffs on any products above the negotiated rates and to apply international food safety standards in a uniform and transparent manner. Russia’s membership in the WTO will provide significant commercial opportunities for U.S. agriculture, including increased sales of poultry, pork and beef.”

Moscow is not happy with a human rights provision in the bill. The bill directs President Obama to publish the names of Russians allegedly involved in the abuse and death of Sergei Magnitsky, a Russian anti-corruption lawyer who died in a Russian jail in 2009. It requires the U.S. to freeze assets and deny visas to any individuals on that list as well as other Russian human rights violators on an ongoing basis. Moscow says the provision is a violation of Russia’s sovereignty and threatens to retaliate if it is signed.