U.S. House State-Foreign Operations Subcommittee maintained parity in military assistance to Armenia and Azerbaijan

PanARMENIAN.Net - An amendment championed by Armenian Caucus Co-Chair Joe Knollenberg (R-MI) to cut all military aid to Azerbaijan due to their escalating threats of war against Nagorno Karabakh and Armenia was defeated by one vote during a meeting of the U.S. House State-Foreign Operations Subcommittee to consider the Fiscal Year 2009 (FY09) foreign aid bill, the Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA) told PanARMENIAN.Net



"We want to thank Joe Knollenberg for his leadership in seeking to zero out military aid to Azerbaijan, and to express our appreciation to all those, like Congressmen Adam Schiff and Mark Kirk, who supported this vital legislative effort to promote peace and stability in the Caucasus," said Aram Hamparian, Executive Director of the ANCA. "At the same time, especially given the razor-thin margin of this vote, we are saddened and disappointed by the opposition of Chairwoman Lowey, and the other Representatives who, although traditionally friends of the Armenian American community - cast their votes to block the adoption of this badly needed measure: Jesse Jackson, Jr., Steve Israel, Ben Chandler, Steve Rothman, Barbara Lee, Betty McCollum, and David Obey."



Last month, during a hearing of the Foreign Affairs Committee, Rep. Knollenberg cross-examined Assistant Secretary of State Dan Fried regarding the State Department failure to meaningfully challenge Azerbaijan's war rhetoric against neighboring Nagorno Karabakh and Armenia. Earlier today, as he entered the foreign aid mark-up, the Michigan legislator stated, that: "For the security of Armenia and the region, I strongly believe that the Azeri war machine must be stopped. This is why it is completely unbelievable and unacceptable that there would be any U.S. funding of Azerbaijan's military. I will fight to strip this money from the budget to ensure Armenia's continued safety. The U.S. absolutely must not fund or support the Azeri bellicose behavior."



The panel approved $52 million in assistance to Armenia, $8 for Nagorno Karabakh and, by rejecting the Knollenberg Amendment, effectively maintained parity in military assistance to Armenia and Azerbaijan. According to traditional Congressional practice, the bill next goes to the full Appropriations Committee for consideration before reaching the House floor, although the exact legislative path for this measure remains unclear. The full Senate Appropriations Committee is scheduled to consider the Senate version of the foreign aid bill on Thursday, July 17th.