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House Panel Maintains Aid Level For Armenia

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  • House Panel Maintains Aid Level For Armenia

    HOUSE PANEL MAINTAINS AID LEVEL FOR ARMENIA

    /PanARMENIAN.Net/
    17.06.2009 21:18 GMT+04:00

    /PanARMENIAN.Net/ The House Appropriations Subcommittee responsible
    for U.S. foreign aid policy, this morning, voted to maintain
    U.S. economic assistance to Armenia at last year's level of $48
    million and to increase humanitarian assistance to Nagorno Karabakh
    to an unprecedented annual allocation of $10 million, reported the
    Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA).

    The Subcommittee voted to maintain military assistance parity to
    Armenia and Azerbaijan, keeping foreign military financing to both
    countries at $3 million. The panel chose not to accept President
    Obama's proposals, included in the FY10 budget that he released
    earlier this year, to reduce economic aid to Armenia by 38%, from $48
    million $30 million, and to tilt the military aid balance in favor
    of Azerbaijan.

    The Subcommittee on State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs,
    which is chaired by Rep. Nita Lowey (D-NY), also strengthened
    language governing the President's authority to waive Section 907
    of the Freedom Support Act, a provision of law that restricts aid to
    Azerbaijan due to its blockades and other offensive actions against
    Armenia and Nagorno Karabakh. The new language, according those close
    to the work of the subcommittee, will require closer Congressional
    consultation prior to any future waivers of this law.

    "We value Chairwoman Lowey's leadership and the efforts of Rep. Adam
    Schiff, Armenian Caucus Co-Chairman Mark Kirk, Representatives Steve
    Rothman, Jesse Jackson Jr, Betty McCollum, Barbara Lee, Steve Israel,
    and our many friends on the Subcommittee for constructively working to
    address our community's foreign aid priorities," said ANCA Executive
    Director Aram Hamparian. "We are gratified that the panel restored
    military aid parity, met the Armenian Caucus request of $10 million
    for Nagorno Karabakh, and strengthened the waiver language for Section
    907. We will, in the coming days, seek to build on this progress by
    working with our friends on the Senate side to bring the economic
    aid figure to Armenia up to the $70 million level requested by the
    Armenian Caucus."

    In an April 3, 2009 letter sent to the panel earlier this year,
    members of the Armenian Caucus, co-chaired by Representatives Frank
    Pallone and Mark Kirk, called for strengthening Section 907, allocating
    $70 million in economic aid to Armenia, $5million in assistance to
    Armenia's military, $10 million in development aid to Nagorno Karabakh,
    and the removal of official barriers to U.S.-Nagorno Karabakh contacts
    and communications.

    From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress
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