The United States Terminates Funding for Armenian Students of GIPA

The United States has terminated funding for the program covering tuition costs for Armenian students in the Georgian Institute of Public Affairs (GIPA). According to the information available to Epress.am, this decision might be linked to Armenia's membership in the Eurasian Economic Union (EEU). 

Replying to an inquiry by Epress.am as to whether the decision was politically motivated, the U.S. Embassy in Yerevan said it “in no way reflects the strength of the U.S.-Armenia relationship.”

“The assistance budget of the United States is a reflection of our efforts to respond to ongoing and emerging national security challenges, including new global developments over the past year. Funding to many countries worldwide was significantly reduced.  It is within this context that a reduction was made to the amount of projected assistance funds for Armenia, which will likely impact the GIPA program.  This in no way reflects the quality of the programs that have been implemented or the strength of the U.S.-Armenia relationship,” the reply read.

Responding to a question as to why funding has not been terminated for the Azerbaijani students involved in the GIPA program, the embassy said “the U.S. Embassy in Yerevan cannot speak to how U.S. assistance funds are allocated in Azerbaijan.”