Most popular articles

11:23 01/07/2010

House Panel approves $10 million for Nagorno-Karabakh

A key U.S. House panel responsible for foreign aid voted today to approve $44 million in economic aid to Armenia - a figure $4 million less than the $48 million the same body adopted last year, but $4 million more than the amount proposed earlier this year in President Obama's budget request to Congress, reported the Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA).

Reports from sources close to this process report that the panel, which is led by longtime Armenian American issues supporter Chairwoman Nita Lowey (D-NY), voted, once again, to increase the ceiling on direct U.S. assistance to Nagorno Karabagh, approving language calling on the Administration to spend up to $10 million for programs in Artsakh.

Significantly, the measure adopted today by the Subcommittee rejects attempts by President Obama to tilt the balance in U.S. military aid in favor of Azerbaijan. The panel chose, instead, to maintain parity in Foreign Military Financing at $3.5 million and International Military Education and Training allocations, at $450,000, to Yerevan and Baku.

“While we remain troubled by the downward trend in overall aid appropriated by Congress to Armenia over the past decade, we are gratified that the panel rejected President Obama's attempt to break military aid parity, and for setting a target of $10 million in aid to Nagorno Karabagh. We will, in the coming days, work with our friends on the Senate side to seek to zero-out aid to Azerbaijan, support Nagorno Karabagh's return to direct participation in the peace process, break down barriers to U.S.-Nagorno Karabagh dialogue, and increase the level of aid to Armenia." ANCA Executive Director Aram Hamparian said.

Placeholder