Office of Bilateral Trade Affairs [BTA] [Department of State] Law and Legal Definition
The Office of Bilateral Trade Affairs (BTA) is a part of the U.S. Department of State that manages the U.S. bilateral trade relations with countries around the world. The BTA assists in the negotiation and implementation of Free Trade Agreements, Trade and Investment Framework Agreements, and trade preference programs.
Main initiatives of the BTA include:
a. to seek Congressional passage of Free Trade Agreements with Panama, Colombia, and Korea;
b. to seek Congressional approval for the Reconstruction Opportunity Zones (ROZ) initiative, for stabilizing Afghanistan and Pakistan;
c. to promote the Pathways to Prosperity in the Americas, an initiative to extend the benefits of trade throughout societies in participating Western Hemisphere nations;
d. to coordinate the Department's work on the bilateral dialogues like the U.S-China Strategic and Economic Dialogue, the U.S.-Brazil Economic Partnership Dialogue, and the U.S.-Turkey Economic Partnership Commission;
e. to support the U.S.-E.U. Transatlantic Economic Council (TEC) and the Transatlantic Business Dialogue (TABD);
f. to promote development in Africa through implementation of the Africa Growth and Opportunity Act;
g. to assist the U.S. Ambassador to the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum with the Summit, Ministerial, Senior Official, and Committee on Trade and Investment meetings;
h. to work to expand trade with the Middle East and North Africa by promoting bilateral and regional cooperation; and
i. to manage the Economic Empowerment in Strategic Regions (EESR) initiative, which promotes private sector economic development in regions where poverty, unemployment and lack of opportunity fuel support and sympathy for extremism.
Legal Definition list
- Office of Bilateral Trade Affairs [BTA] [Department of State]
- Office of Attorney Recruitment and Management [Department of Justice]
- Office of Assistant Secretary for Administration and Management [Department of Labor]
- Office of Analysis, Research and Technology
- Office of Allowances [Department of State]
- Office of Buildings and Acquisitions [L/BA] [Department of State]
- Office of Chemical and Biological Weapons [CBW]
- Office of Citizenship [Immigration]
- Office of Civil Rights [Department of State]
- Office of Commercial and Business Affairs [EEB/CBA] [Department of State]
- Office of Communications Business Opportunities [Federal Communications Commission]
