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WHITE HOUSE PROPOSES $49.5 MILLION IN AID TO ARMENIA


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#1 Azat

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Posted 05 February 2003 - 03:12 PM

The Bush Administration's fiscal year 2004 budget, released earlier Monday, calls for $49.5 million in assistance to Armenia, a significant drop from last year's Presidential request of $70 million and the actual fiscal year 2002 appropriation of $90.2 million, reported the Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA).

Comparatively, the Administration request for Azerbaijan saw a much smaller reduction, going from a $46 million request in FY 2003 to $41.5 million for FY 2004. The President's fiscal year 2004 budget calls for an overall decrease in military assistance to Armenia and Azerbaijan as compared to its fiscal year 2003 request, while keeping parity in spending for both countries.

"Armenian Americans are troubled by the sharp reductions in aid to Armenia proposed by the President and will, working with our community's friends in Congress, seek to restore U.S. assistance to a level commensurate with Armenia's cooperation with the United States on a broad range of security, economic, and regional issues," said Aram Hamparian, Executive Director of the ANCA.

"This Administration, like the last, has failed to meaningfully pressure either Turkey or Azerbaijan to lift their illegal blockades of Armenia and, as such, bears a special responsibility to help offset the impact of the these blockades, estimated by the World Bank at up to $720 million a year. The figures proposed today by the White House, sadly, represent a step in the wrong direction."

According to the World Bank, the blockades of Armenia are costing Armenia between 30 to 38% of its Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and blocking up to 50% of Armenia's potential exports. According to these figures and using the World Bank figure for Armenia's 2000 GDP of $1.9 billion, the Turkish and Azerbaijani blockades costs Armenia between $570 million to $722 million annually.

In human terms, these blockades have caused economic hardships that have caused over 800,000 Armenians to leave their homeland out of desperation. Despite strong Congressional opposition to these illegal blockades, the Administration has not taken any meaningful steps to bring them to an end.

Congress has yet to approve the FY 2003 foreign aid package, now part of an Omnibus Appropriations bill that will likely be taken up in the next few weeks. The Senate Foreign Operations Subcommittee has proposed a $90 million earmark for Armenia, while the House has called for $84.3 million in assistance. Over twenty House Members recently urged their colleagues on the Foreign Operations conference committee to approve the Senate level of $90 million for Armenia.

The Administration's proposed FY 2004 Freedom Support Act budget calls for $49.5 million for Armenia, $41.5 million for Azerbaijan and $75 million for Georgia. In terms of Foreign Military Finance (FMF) and International Military Education and Training (IMET), the President's proposal calls for $3.4 million for Armenia and Azerbaijan and $11.3 million for Georgia.

#2 MosJan

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Posted 05 February 2003 - 03:31 PM

not enugh
we nned more
BMW just Released the new 8 Class car – every PuZat in Erevan most have atlist one –
And most of all the new 4 door Porsche / haw can we not have 50 in Erevan / this money is not enough - we need more !!! no no sorry we demand more !!!

#3 Azat

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Posted 05 February 2003 - 03:35 PM

Movses what is PuZat? I do nto think I have ever heard of them?

#4 564312

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Posted 05 February 2003 - 03:42 PM

quote:
Originally posted by MosJan:
not enugh
we nned more
BMW just Released the new 8 Class car – every PuZat in Erevan most have atlist one –
And most of all the new 4 door Porsche / haw can we not have 50 in Erevan / this money is not enough - we need more !!! no no sorry we demand more !!!

hahaha
MosJan maybe they already bought it..u know blak market.
Azat how come Georgia is getting more money is it because of their current situation?

#5 Azat

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Posted 05 February 2003 - 03:56 PM

quote:
Originally posted by 564312:
hahaha
MosJan maybe they already bought it..u know blak market.
Azat how come Georgia is getting more money is it because of their current situation?

I do not know. I would assume that it is because of their current situation and the need that they have. Plus US has military personnel there so I am sure some of that money is to say "thank you" in a way to Georgians. Also they are bigger.

Here is the aid that they got in the last 4 years
2000 - 110 million
2001 - 102 million
2002 - 89 million
2003*- 87million

*Proposed

#6 MosJan

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Posted 05 February 2003 - 07:57 PM

quote:
Originally posted by Azat:
Movses what is PuZat? I do nto think I have ever heard of them?

The NewArmenians !!!

#7 baboyan

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Posted 06 February 2003 - 11:06 AM

the amount of money in 2004 maybe from 80-85 million
the rate this keeps going in about 10yrs Armenia will not get any money

#8 564312

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Posted 06 February 2003 - 01:23 PM

but baboyan 85 million is still good money that can be invested, why Armenia is so small that i don't think it offer any substantial profit to Americans. you think they should give us 10 billion?

#9 gamavor

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Posted 15 February 2003 - 11:30 AM

WASHINGTON, DC - Despite an overall reduction in U.S. assistance to
the former Soviet republics, the House voted 338 to 83 for a $397
billion Omnibus Appropriations bill that maintains assistance to
Armenia at $90 million for the 2003 fiscal year, reported the
Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA.) The Senate passed
the legislation by a margin of 76 to 20 the same evening.

The votes followed weeks of work by House and Senate
Foreign Operations conferees, led by Senator Mitch McConnell (R-KY)
and Jim Kolbe (R-AZ), to reconcile differences in the two versions
of the FY03 foreign aid bills adopted last year. The House, last
summer, had initially approved $84.3 million for Armenia. The
Senate approved $90 million, the same level as Armenia's actual
fiscal year 2002 appropriation. Senator McConnell has been a long-
time champion of U.S. assistance to Armenia. The ANC of Arizona
met with Chairman Kolbe last October, as the fiscal year 2003
foreign aid figures were taking shape.

"We want to thank all of our friends on the foreign operations
conference committee for agreeing to the Senate figure of $90
million for Armenia in the fiscal year 2003 foreign aid bill.
Their efforts, in the face of so many competing spending
priorities, will help offset the impact of the Turkish and
Azerbaijani blockades of Armenia," said Aram Hamparian,
Executive
Director of the ANCA. "In the coming days and weeks, we will
step up our outreach to appropriators in both houses to
reverse the sharp cut in aid to Armenia proposed by the President
in his fiscal year 2004 budget."

The Bush Administration's fiscal year 2004 budget, released last
week, called for $49.5 million in assistance to Armenia, a
significant drop from last year's Presidential request of $70
million and the actual fiscal year 2002 appropriation of $90.2
million. Comparatively, the Administration's request for
Azerbaijan saw a much smaller reduction, going from a $46 million
request in fiscal year 2003 to $41.5 million for fiscal year 2004.

The fiscal year 2003 foreign aid bill was adopted as part of the
Omnibus Appropriations legislation. The measure calls for $760
million in assistance to former Soviet republics, a $24 million
reduction from last year. While citing a $90 million "hard
earmark" in economic assistance for Armenia, the bill does not
include a minimum military assistance level. However, the
Conference Report recommends that, "the full IMET [International
Military Education and Training] and FMF [foreign military funding]
requests for Armenia will be provided in fiscal year 2003, and
specifies that "a portion of the FMF funds should be used to
enhance communications capabilities."

The Conference report also specifically encourages the "State
Department to continue discussions with the sponsors of the
proposed Center for the Advancement of Natural Discoveries Using
Light Emission (CANDLE) project and relevant Armenian authorities
on the economic viability and sustainability of the project. The
managers recommend that continued funding for the project's study
be made available from assistance provided for Armenia in the
Act."

In a departure from prior practice, the fiscal year 2003 foreign
aid bill does not call for a hard earmark for the Republic of
Georgia. The Conference report does, however, cite continued
Congressional support for "the sovereignty and territorial
integrity of Georgia" and notes that the "request for
Georgia will
be made available by the Administration." The report goes on to
encourage "the Government of Georgia to take more effective
measures to defend human rights and the rule of law by protecting
religious minorities against mob violence."

While not specifying assistance levels to Azerbaijan, the
Conference report did make special note of Congressional concern
about "the murder of John Alvis, a democracy worker with the
International Republican Institute, in Azerbaijan. The managers
request that within 30 days of enactment of this Act, the State
Department provide an update on the status of the investigation.
The managers expect the State Department and relevant Azeri
authorities to continue to make this investigation a top
priority."

Following the House adoption of the Omnibus appropriations bill,
House Appropriations Subcommittee senior member and Congressional
Armenian Caucus Co-Chair Joe Knollenberg (R-MI), stated,
"American
assistance to Armenia is critical to offset the challenges imposed
on Armenia by its neighbors. Armenia is one of our strongest
allies in the region, and has demonstrated a strong desire to build
a friendly and cooperative relationship with the United States.
This aid will continue to strengthen the ties between our two
countries."

New Jersey Democrat Steve Rothman concurred, noting, "I was
delighted to use my position on the House Appropriations
Subcommittee on Foreign Operations to secure $90 million in
economic assistance to Armenia in the Fiscal Year 2003 Omnibus
Appropriations bill, $20 million more than requested by President
Bush. This assistance will provide the people of Armenia the
opportunity to continue the great successes they have achieved in
economic development over the past few years. While I am pleased
with the outcome for the current fiscal year, I pledge to increase
the woefully inadequate $49 million in economic assistance that the
Bush Administration has proposed for Armenia in Fiscal Year
2004."

In the weeks leading up to the House-Senate conference on the
foreign aid bill, over 20 Representatives sent a letter, initiated
by Armenian Caucus Co-Chairman Frank Pallone (D-NJ), to Chairman
Kolbe, encouraging support for a number of provisions in the bill
impacting Armenia and Nagorno Karabagh. Noting that "the dual
blockades of Armenia by Azerbaijan and Turkey continue to impede
Armenia's economic well-being," the co-signers urged their
colleagues to ensure that "not less than $90 million" be
provided
for Armenia. The letter also urged $3 million in Foreign Military
Financing and $750,000 in International Military Education Training
(IMET) for Armenia.

Rep. Adam Schiff, a co-signer of the letter, explained that he was
"very pleased that U.S. aid to Armenia for fiscal year 2003 will
be
$90 million. Any reduction in aid would have seriously jeopardized
ongoing humanitarian, economic development and democracy-building
projects currently underway in Armenia."

PS: What is important is not that much the amount, but the way money is spend. I will hate to see any money going to the deep pockets of corrupt officials. Strengthening the rule of law, judicial system, small business development and infrastructure and tourism. If Armenia can make it despite the blockade, then our "smart" neighbors might realize the futility of the blockade.

#10 Paul bunyan

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Posted 27 February 2003 - 05:33 PM

does Armenia receive ALL of the grant money or only a small part of the total
amount of the grant?




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