[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 150 (2004), Part 18]
[Senate]
[Pages 24246-24247]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




              PERMANENT NORMAL TRADE RELATIONS FOR ARMENIA

  Mrs. FEINSTEIN. Mr. President, I rise today to express my support for 
the Miscellaneous Tariff bill, in particular a provision granting 
Permanent Normal Trade Relations to Armenia.
  Armenia is a critical U.S. ally in the Caucus region and PNTR will 
significantly strengthen bilateral relations and spur economic growth 
and prosperity in Armenia. It allows Armenian products continued access 
to the U.S. market at low tariff rates and will go a long ways towards 
offsetting the impact of Turkish and Azeri blockades that cost Armenia 
as much as $720 million annually.

[[Page 24247]]

  Simply put, this means jobs and rising living standards for Armenians 
who want to stay in their country and create a better tomorrow for 
their children. Armenians have worked so hard to overcome the horrors 
of the past to build a country based on values Americans and Armenians 
both share: freedom, democracy, open markets, respect for human rights 
and the rule of law. We should stand behind those efforts.
  I am proud to represent over a half million Armenian Americans in 
California. They are a strong, vibrant community who have enriched the 
culture of our State and participated in every aspect of its civic 
life.
  I urge my colleagues to join me in supporting PNTR for Armenia.

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