U.S. Congress opens hearing on Caucasus region today

PanARMENIAN.Net - On June 18, the House Foreign Affairs Committee members will focus, in an exercise of their oversight responsibilities, on the opportunity to question State Department officials on U.S. policy regarding Armenia and the surrounding area, the Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA) told PanARMENIAN.Net



Assistant Secretary of State for Europe Dan Fried will testify before the House Foreign Affairs Committee on Wednesday June 18th at 10:00am EDT regarding U.S. policy toward the Caucasus region. Chairman Howard Berman (D-CA) and his fellow Committee members will be focusing on a wide range of issues including the ongoing blockade of Armenia, U.S. policy on the Armenian Genocide, and foreign aid. Turkish Ambassador to the U.S. Nabi Sensoy recently denied the existence of a Turkish blockade, arguing that there are many Armenians who serve as "nannies" to Turkish children. The World Bank estimates that Turkey and Azerbaijan's blockades of Armenia reduce Armenia's GDP by up to 38% annually.



Rep. Adam Schiff (D-CA), along with Rep. George Radanovich (R-CA) and Congressional Armenian Caucus Co-Chairs Frank Pallone, Jr. (D-NJ) and Joe Knollenberg (R-MI) recently introduced the "End the Turkish Blockade of Armenia" Bill (H.R. 6079), which calls upon Turkey to end its blockade of Armenia and asks the U.S. Department of State to report on its efforts towards this end.