US will continue providing aid to Artsakh
ArmInfo. The Appropriations Committee of the US Senate adopted the budget for
foreign aid for the 2018 financial year, in which it will continue to provide financial assistance to Nagorno-Karabakh.As the press service of the Armenian Assembly of America reports, in the budget it is recommended to allocate funds to the victims of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict in the same amount as in the previous financial years.
"At the same time, the Committee is calling for a peaceful settlement of
the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. Taking into account Azerbaijan's
latest large-scale aggression against Armenia and Artsakh, the
Committee emphasizes the importance of introducing mechanisms for
investigating incidents along the entire perimeter of the contact
line, "the AAA said. The organization is also reported that the
Committee also accepted an amendment proposed by Senator Chris Van
Hollen, which prohibits arms sales to the Turkish president's
security department in connection with the attack of Turkish leader
guards on peaceful demonstrators in May this year in Washington. It
is also noted that the bill contains a section of the Law 907 on
Freedom Support, which sets out six exceptions for humanitarian and
other assistance to Azerbaijan. Note that US President Donald Trump
sent to the Congress a document providing for a drastic reduction in
US financial assistance to third countries. The document provides for
a reduction in aid to Armenia by 67%.Appropriations Committee The US
Senate in 2017 provided Armenia with financial assistance of $ 24.1
million and Azerbaijan - $ 10.9 million. The Senate also recommended
granting $ 1 million in military aid and $ 600,000 for military
training.
In general, the allocated assistance to Armenia was $ 3 million more
than the US President Barack Obama asked from the budget. The amount
of assistance to Artsakh, provided since 1998, remained
unchanged.Recall that the Committee on Appropriations of the US
Senate in the financial year 2016 provided Armenia with financial
assistance of $ 20.06 million, as well as $ 1.7 million in military
aid and $ 600,000 for military training. For Azerbaijan and Georgia,
US lawmakers offered to provide $ 8.778 million and $ 54 million as
financial assistance.