After meeting with President Thein Sein on Tuesday, Mitch McConnell, (R.) Kentucky, has agreed to reconsider his stance on the renewal of the Burmese Freedom and Democracy Act.
And while the ban's sanctions have been slowly lifting overtime, McConnell has been critical of the Burmese government.
President Barack Obama has slowly removed certain sanctions (The last time being in November 2012 right before President Obama visited the Southeastern Asian country, imports including rubies and jewelry were reintroduced to Western trade) in order to introduce business between Burma and the U.S. as well as open potential markets with countries that have already made deals on trade.
Tthe president has kept the certain portions of the Act on paper to show support of human rights groups and encourage the Thein Sein and his delegates to reconsider abusive laws against minority groups, condemning this behavior.
Myanmar has seen great growth since 2011, when President Thein Sein took over. Their more notable reforms include working with the U.S. to release 850 political prisoners, allowing freedom in the media, allowing citizens to express themselves freely in speech and social action.
McConnell agreed to support the measure to lift the remaining major bans, going against certain congressional groups, siting the country's effort to move away from a militaristic government, to a more civilian rule. To ignore this advance and continue with a renewal of the ban would be a "slap in the face," he said.
The development, though a major win for Thein Sein, does not erase the controversies surrounding conflicts between Muslims and Buddhists on Burmese soil, nor does it ignore the potentially volatile arms trade with North Korea, reports The Washington Times.
The Trade and Investment Framework Agreement will ensure that the U.S. and Burma discern the best business opportunities for both countries, and support ongoing, peaceful and profitable projects for the people of Burma.
Deputy Bermese Commerce Minister Pwint San signed the agreement with acting U.S. Trade Representative Demetrios Marantis on Tuesday.
