US administration signals support for ending trade restrictions on Central Asia

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the Trrump administration supports abolishing the decades-old Jackson-Vanik trade restrictions, arguing the Cold War–era law no longer serves US interests and is hindering relations with Central Asian countries.

“We agree absolutely. We would like to see that because it would allow us to do even more,” Rubio said during a Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing, responding to a question from Senator Steve Daines.

Daines, a Republican from Montana, emphasised that he and Senator Chris Murphy are co-sponsors of legislation aimed at repealing the restrictions, which he described as “an ancient Soviet-era” policy that is “not relevant at all” to current geopolitical realities.

“We hope to actually get this done and on the president’s desk,” Daines said, adding that the restrictions are impeding stronger economic and diplomatic engagement with strategically important Central Asian nations.

The Jackson-Vanik Amendment was enacted in 1974 at the height of the Cold War. It imposed trade penalties on countries that restricted their citizens’ right to emigrate, targeting in particular the Soviet Union’s limits on the emigration of Jewish citizens. While many former Soviet states have since moved beyond those practices, the amendment technically remains in force for several countries.

By Sabina Mammadli