Senate Approves Russia PNTR

December 6, 2012

On December 6, 2012, the United States Senate passed the Russia and Moldova Jackson-Vanik Repeal and Sergei Magnitsky Rule of Law Accountability Act of 2012 (H.R. 6156) by a vote of 92 to 4. H.R. 6156 terminates the application of Jackson-Vanik to Russia and Moldova, and authorizes the President to extend Permanent Normal Trade Relations (PNTR) to Russia and Moldova. It also contains measures addressing human rights issues in Russia. The bill will now be sent to the President for signature, as the U.S. House of Representatives approved it last month. Granting PNTR to Russia will allow the United States to take full advantage of Russia’s membership in the World Trade Organization (WTO), including allowing the United States to address Russian compliance with WTO trade Rules through the WTO dispute settlement process.

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