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US reduces assistance to Armenia

19 December 2007 10:06 (UTC +04:00)

The document envisaged allocating $18mln. to Azerbaijan and $35mln. to Armenia in the framework of Freedom Support Act. Separatist Nagorno Karabakh regime was not offered any assistance,â€ official of Azerbaijani embassy in Washington Remzi Teymurov told APAâ€™s US bureau.He said that House of Representatives amended the budget document presented by the White House, demanded $68mln. to be allocated to Armenia, which is twice more than the planned assistance, and the members of the Lower House asked to offer $6mln.-assistance to Nagorno Karabakh.
â€œIn October, when the draft budget was debated in the Senate, the members of the house, unlike the House of Representatives again wanted $38mln. to be allocated to Armenia and $22mln. to Azerbaijan. Concrete figure on assistance to Nagorno Karabakh was not reflected in the document debated in the Senate,â€ he said.
Remzi Teymurov said that taking into account divergence on the bill between the two houses of the Congress, a conference was organized of the members of the Supreme Legislative Bodyâ€™s institutions. According to the final decision of the conference, $19mln. will be offered to Azerbaijan and $38mln. to Armenia in 2008. The financial assistance to Nagorno Karabakh has been halved.
Teymurov said that halving the assistance to be rendered for Armenia and separatist Nagorno Karabakh regime was possible with the activity of Azerbaijani Embassy in US and local Diaspora organizations. The meetings were held with congressmen and their assistants during discussions carried out in the Congress since February due to the above-said draft bill. Diaspora members appealing to their congressmen asked to take interests of Azerbaijan into account.
U.S Armenians did not hide their dissatisfaction with the decision of House of Representatives of the Congress. The executive director of US Armenian National Committee Aram Hamparian stated that Armeniaâ€™s receiving less assistance due to the borders with Turkey and Azerbaijan will cause problem. Armenians are very anxious about House of Representativeâ€™s allotting $3mln-twice reduced amount to Nagorno Karabakh.
Ballot should be held in Senate due to draft bill on 2008 State Budget in nearest days. Following this, the document will be submitted to US President George Bush for signing it.
Armenia will be rendered less assistance intended in the framework of Millennium Challenges in 2008. Congress House of Representativesâ€™ allocating $1.55 billion to that program caused it. But White House asked to allocate $ 3 billion for the above-said program. /APA/