ANCA: U.S. should end preferential trade treatment for Azerbaijan

PanARMENIAN.Net - The U.S. should end preferential trade treatment for Azerbaijan, according to a formal Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA) public statement submitted to the U.S. Trade Representative in anticipation of its January 17, 2020, public hearing to review Baku’s continued eligibility to export products to the United States under the Generalized System of Preferences (GSP) – a program that eliminates trade duties on thousands of products from 119 designated countries.

In the ANCA letter, Government Affairs Director Tereza Yerimyan cited three reservations: 1) Azerbaijan’s collusion with Turkey to blockade Armenia, 2) Azerbaijan’s sanctuary for convicted murderer Ramil Safarov, and; 3) Azerbaijan’s racist policy of denying visas to ethnic Armenians. The official USTR meeting notice highlights Azerbaijan’s violations of worker rights and welcomes U.S. citizens and organizations to submit public comments for consideration during the hearing.

Established by the Trade Act of 1974, the Generalized System of Preferences (GSP) is the largest and oldest U.S. trade preference program. It promotes economic development by eliminating duties on some 3500 imported products from 119 designated beneficiary countries and territories, including Armenia, Georgia, and Azerbaijan.