Central Asia

Throughout 2008, the United States continued to work - bilaterally and multilaterally - to construct strong trade and investment links with this region, which includes Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan.  In the 1990s, the United States concluded bilateral trade agreements to extend Normal Trade Relations (NTR, formerly referred to as "most favored nation" or MFN) to these countries and, inter alia, to enhance intellectual property rights protection.  The United States also has extended Generalized System of Preferences (GSP) benefits to products from the region's eligible beneficiary developing countries (Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan).  The United States currently has BITs in force with Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan, and has signed a BIT with Uzbekistan, which has not yet entered into force.

In 2005, the United States signed a multi-party Trade and Investment Framework Agreement (TIFA) with these five Central Asia countries. The TIFA provides a regional forum for the discussion of trade and investment issues with a view to improving the investment climate in the region and liberalizing and increasing trade between the United States and Central Asia.  In 2008, the TIFA Council held its third meeting in Dushanbe, Tajikistan, with a focus on practical steps to facilitate trade among the Central Asian countries. The United States plans to host the next TIFA Council meeting in Washington, D.C. this fall.

Multilaterally, the United States has encouraged accession to the World Trade Organization (WTO) as an important method of supporting economic reform.  Kyrgyzstan has been a Member of the WTO since 1998.  In 2008, Kazakhstan had a meeting of its Working Party on WTO accession, as well as numerous bilateral meetings and digital video conference with the United States, which helped move work on Kazakhstan's accession forward.  Tajikistan and Uzbekistan are also working to join the WTO. The United States continues to promote changes in these countries' trade and investment regimes to make them consistent with WTO rules.  Turkmenistan has not yet applied for accession to the WTO.