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ANCA: Senate Appropriations Committee Adopts $75 Million for Armenia

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  • ANCA: Senate Appropriations Committee Adopts $75 Million for Armenia

    Armenian National Committee of America
    888 17th St., NW, Suite 904
    Washington, DC 20006
    Tel: (202) 775-1918
    Fax: (202) 775-5648
    E-mail: [email protected]
    Internet: www.anca.org

    PRESS RELEASE

    FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
    June 30, 2005
    Contact: Elizabeth S. Chouldjian
    Tel: (202) 775-1918

    SENATE APPROPROPRIATIONS COMMITTEE ADOPTS $75 MILLION
    FOR ARMENIA; $3 MILLION FOR NAGORNO KARABAGH

    -- U.S. House Finalizes Approval of its
    Version of the Foreign Aid Bill

    WASHINGTON, DC ~V The Senate and House continued consideration of
    the Fiscal Year (FY) 2006 foreign aid bill this week, with the
    Senate Appropriations Committee today adopting appropriations of
    $75 million for Armenia and $3 million for Nagorno Karabagh,
    reported the Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA). The
    House adopted their version of the foreign aid bill on Tuesday.

    "We want to thank Senator McConnell for his leadership in securing
    a $75 million earmark for his Armenia, and to thank all our friends
    on the Foreign Operations Subcommittee for their work on each of
    the provisions in this bill that will contribute to the further
    strengthening U.S.-Armenia ties," said Aram Hamparian, Executive
    Director of the ANCA. "We look forward to supporting Senators
    McConnell and Leahy as well as Representatives Kolbe, Knollenberg,
    Lowey, Rothman and all the other conferees who will, in the coming
    weeks, engage in the important work of reconciling the Senate and
    House versions of this legislation."

    Senate Appropriations Committee assistance levels for Armenia
    represent a $20 million increase over President Bush's budget
    request earlier this year, and $7.5 million more than the House
    measure adopted earlier this week. The Senate panel also approved
    over $6.4 million in military and security aid to Armenia,
    including $5 million in Foreign Military Financing (FMF), $750,000
    in International Military Education and Training (IMET), and
    $700,000 in Nonproliferation, Antiterrorism, De-mining and Related
    (NADR) assistance.

    The House and Senate versions of the foreign aid bill differ in
    their overall support levels for U.S. assistance to the former
    Soviet States. The Senate Appropriations Committee adopted an
    overall figure of $565 million for the region, approximately $88
    million more than their House Colleagues. As part of that
    allocation, the Senate Appropriations Committee approved $70.5
    million for Georgia and $38 million for Azerbaijan. The Senate
    Committee report called on the "State Department and USAID to
    more emphatically and publicly support political process
    programming in Russia and Azerbaijan. Freedom is ill served by
    excessive hand wringing over concerns with projecting political
    balance in programming or of offending authoritarian host
    governments."

    The House allocation of up to $5 million for Nagorno Karabagh is $2
    million more than the amount set by the Senate panel. The
    Committee report accompanying the House measure, noted that, "in
    furtherance of a peaceful resolution to the Nagorno-Karabagh
    conflict, and in support of the measures discussed at NATO and OSCE
    summits, the Committee strongly supports confidence-building
    measures among the parties to the conflict. Such measures include
    strengthening compliance with the cease-fire, studying post-
    conflict regional development such as landmine removal, water
    management, transportation routes and infrastructure, establishing
    a youth exchange program and other collaborative and humanitarian
    initiatives to foster greater understanding among the parties and
    reduce hostilities."

    In a new development this year in the House bill, foreign military
    assistance to Turkey was reduced sharply from $29.6 million in FY
    2005 to just $4.4 million for FY 2006. While the Committee report
    was careful to state that the reduction "is not a reflection of a
    lessening of the Committee's appreciation for Turkey's support," it
    did note that "sufficient justification" was not provided for the
    funds.

    In a related matter, the House will take up a $975 million veterans
    healthcare measure this evening, the funding for which comes from a
    $1.1 billion rescission in foreign aid to Turkey that was part of
    the FY 2005 Iraq supplemental assistance package.

    "It is particularly fitting that $1 billion in U.S. assistance,
    originally slated for Turkey, should now go to help fund better
    healthcare for our veterans here at home," noted Hamparian. "By
    Secretary of Defense Rumsfeld's own account, Turkey's refusal, in
    early 2003, to create a northern front in Operation Iraqi Freedom
    contributed to the strength of the ongoing insurgency. These much-
    needed funds to our nation's Veterans Hospitals can play a crucial
    role in helping our veterans - including those who were made more
    vulnerable as a result of Turkey's actions."

    ------------------------------------------------------------
    Representatives Knollenberg, Pallone, and Rothman Hail House
    Passage of the House Foreign Aid Bill
    ------------------------------------------------------------

    Congressional Armenian Caucus Co-Chairs Joe Knollenberg (R-MI) and
    Frank Pallone (D-NJ) were joined this week by Rep. Steve Rothman
    (D-NJ) in welcoming the House passage of the foreign aid measure.

    Reps. Knollenberg and Rothman are both outspoken leaders in support
    of U.S. assistance to Armenia in the House Foreign Operations
    Subcommittee. "The U.S needs to provide persistent and vigorous
    assistance to help minimize the negative impacts of the damaging
    blockades on Armenia's borders," explained Rep. Knollenberg. "Our
    assistance has so far produced important positive reforms in
    Armenia's economy and government. With the funds approved in the
    Foreign Operations Appropriations bill, Armenia can continue on the
    path towards economic stability."

    Rep. Rothman noted that, "most Americans believe that America
    spends 10%-15% of its budget on foreign aid. That simply is not
    the case, we only spend about 1% of our budget on foreign aid - and
    that 1% is very well spent. By giving Armenia this aid package, we
    are providing the financial support that will help this nation
    establish a more fiscally sound economy, while also ensuring its
    security."

    Rep. Pallone stressed that, "by allocating equal levels of military
    and security assistance to both nations (Armenia and Azerbaijan),
    the U.S. government will preserve its credibility as an impartial
    and leading mediator in the continuing sensitive peace negotiations
    for the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. Given the ongoing Azerbaijani
    blockades and threats to renew military aggression against Armenia
    and Karabakh, it is critically important that the Administration
    continue to promote balanced short- and long-term policies that
    elevate regional cooperation and reduce the risk of conflict in the
    South Caucasus region."

    In response to an initiative spearheaded by Congressman Pallone,
    the House version of the bill included $500,000 for the creation of
    an Armenian Institute at Monmouth University. In advancing this
    measure through the appropriations process, Congressman Pallone
    stressed the value of providing opportunities to Armenian graduate
    students to further their education in the United States by
    studying at Monmouth University. The Institute will include a
    fast-tracked Masters of Business Administration (MBA) Program for
    10 students from Armenia.

    Commenting on the adoption of this measure, Rep. Pallone said, "New
    Jersey is home to a very large Armenian-American population, and
    I'm confident Monmouth University's Armenian Institute will foster
    greater appreciation of a culture steep in tradition and history.
    Armenia continues to suffer from economic hardships and it is
    important to educate future economic leaders who are pro-west and
    can help the situation there."

    #####

    From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress
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