Daines to Rubio in Senate Foreign Relations Hearing: End Outdated Jackson-Vanik Restrictions, Unlock Strategic Access to Central Asia

• June 2, 2026

WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Senator Steve Daines today spoke with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio during a Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing where he discussed delivering economic prosperity through the Trump Route for International Peace and Prosperity (TRIPP) framework agreement and removing the Jackson-Vanik trade restrictions.

Watch the full exchange HERE.

Daines on peace between Armenia and Azerbaijan:

Daines: One of the underreported successes for your diplomacy in this administration is what's happened to the peace agreement, a landmark agreement between Armenia and Azerbaijan. I know, Mr. Secretary, you just were in the region most recently. A major step forward for a region long beset by conflict, nearly 40 years of a hot war. And through your leadership and President Trump's leadership, you've brought true peace to an area of the world sandwiched in between Russia and Iran. It was creative thinking that led the establishment of the Trump Route for International Peace and Prosperity as a solution to some of the stickier issues in that negotiation. The program promises to be a boon, not only for Armenia and Azerbaijan, but also many neighboring countries. As Brzezinski once said, "Talk on the Global Chessboard," his book, that Central Asia is the wine bottle and Azerbaijan's the cork. You uncork the wine bottle, suddenly you've got oil and gas and critical minerals flowing back towards the West instead of to Russia, to China, and to Iran. Mr. Secretary, can you tell us a little bit about how you plan to implement the TRIPP framework agreements and deliver major economic benefit to both the United States in a very historically troubled region?

Rubio: It really has the opportunity to revolutionize Armenia's strategic location and become a central hub for trade in the region. It solves the issue of access that Azerbaijan cared about, and it was an irritant in their relationship. But it does much more than that. It has the ability to transform the Armenian economy in a very powerful way.

Daines: It's remarkable, and we were there together, in fact, last August at the White House when President Aliyev of Azerbaijan, Prime Minister Pashinyan in Armenia, came to sign that agreement with President Trump's leadership. To think a Shiite Muslim country, Azerbaijan, and Armenia, one of the oldest Christian countries in the world, came together to sign a peace agreement, was truly a breakthrough. And so it's an underreported story, in my opinion, Mr. Secretary. I think we need to get the story out. This is a critical geopolitical problem that has been definitely remedied by the leadership of this.

Daines on ending the outdated Jackson-Vanik trade restrictions:

Daines: I've been spending a lot of time over the past few years working with our friends in Central Asia, across the Caspian there, with the five Central Asian countries. Things are progressing well, thanks to your engagement and encouragement and President Trump's. And we're seeing a lot of fruit from last year's C5 plus one summit that was right here in Washington. That being said… there is still a major hurdle to strengthen our ties. One of the key irritants to our friends in Azerbaijan and in Central Asia is the infamous Jackson-Vanik trade restrictions. These are Soviet-era relic restrictions. In fact, Senator Murphy and I are the co-leads on the repeal. It's long past due that we get this changed. Mr. Secretary, is removing these restrictions a priority for you and your department and removing them have a significant impact on our relations with Central Asia?

Rubio: Yeah, it's a detriment. We'd like to see it removed.

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