Epress.am News from Armenia
The Senate and House finalized the Fiscal Year 2012 US foreign assistance package this past weekend, approving $40 million in US assistance to Armenia, maintaining current funding levels for Nagorno Karabakh, and calling for military assistance parity for Armenia and Azerbaijan, reported the Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA).
The funding, though unchanged from the 2011 level, falls short of at least $60 million demanded by about 30 pro-Armenian members of the House last May. Nevertheless, the leading Armenian lobby groups in the United States seem largely satisfied with it, RFE/RL’s Armenian service (Azatutyun) reported.
“Throughout the appropriations process, the Assembly worked with the House and Senate, and in particular our friends on the House and Senate Appropriations Committees to make sure that funding for Armenia was maintained,” Armenian Assembly of America Executive Director Bryan Ardouny.
The US Congress has allocated a total of more than $1.7 billion to Armenia since 1992. The money has been spent on humanitarian aid, infrastructure upgrades, equipment supplies, counseling and other projects administered by the US Agency for International Development.
In terms of US aid to the Caucasus, Congress approved US President Barack Obama’s proposed economic assistance levels, including $40 million for Armenia, $16.6 million for Azerbaijan, and $66 million for Georgia.
In a report accompanying the foreign aid bill, Senate and House conferees made specific mention that there should be parity in both Foreign Military Finance (FMF) and International Military Education and Training (IMET) levels to Armenia and Azerbaijan. While Obama had requested $3 million in FMF funding for each country, the IMET funds he had proposed for Azerbaijan ($900,000) were twice that for Armenia, ANCA reported.
Congress also agreed to provide assistance for Nagorno Karabakh ” at levels consistent with prior years, and for ongoing needs related to the conflict,” while urging a “peaceful resolution of the conflict.”
US assistance spending levels to Karabakh have been approximately $2 million a year.