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WHITE HOUSE PROPOSES $49.5 MILLION IN AID TO ARMENIA


Azat

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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.

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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 !!!

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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?

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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

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  • 2 weeks later...

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.

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