Armenian Assembly of America welcomes congressional letter urging increased funding to Armenia, NKR

PanARMENIAN.Net - The Armenian Assembly of America (Assembly) welcomed a letter sent by U.S. Rep. Frank Pallone, Jr. (D-NJ), along with 27 Members of Congress, to the Chair and Ranking Member of the House Appropriations Subcommittee on the Department of State, Foreign Operations and Related Programs. 



In the letter sent to Chairwoman Nita Lowey (D-NY) and Ranking Member Kay Granger (R-TX), the lawmakers urged $70 million be appropriated to Armenia in Economic Assistance and $10 million to Nagorno Karabakh for humanitarian and development programs.  In addition, the letter included language urging the reinstatement of parity in military assistance between Armenia and Azerbaijan, the strengthening of Section 907 of the Freedom Support Act, and recognizes the importance of including representatives of Nagorno Karabakh in the peace negotiations.



As Armenia continues its commitment to normalizing relations with Turkey, the letter pointed out that "...Turkey continues to include preconditions that threaten the integrity of current negotiations, the U.S. should continue its important support of Armenia."

 

"The Armenian Assembly appreciates the efforts of Armenian Caucus Co-Chair Rep. Frank Pallone, Jr. and his fellow colleagues," said Assembly Congressional Relations Associate Bianka Dodov. "The letter not only addresses the economic and political challenges faced by Armenia and Nagorno Karabakh, but also recounts the longstanding and growing friendship between Armenia and the United States."

 

The Congressional letter reiterated Armenia's progress in economic development and poverty reduction noting, "Until the recent world economic crisis, Armenia regularly registered double-digit growth and has been consistently cited as among the most free economies in the region by the Wall Street Journal and the Heritage Foundation's Index of Economic Freedom.  Our assistance programs have played a vital role in promoting this progress, as well as in the development of Armenia's democratic institutions, an effort that has seen substantial advancement."

 

Established in 1972, the Armenian Assembly of America is the largest Washington-based nationwide organization promoting public understanding and awareness of Armenian issues. The Assembly is a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt membership organization.