US State Secretary: We Remember Parity Is Necessary in Military Assistance to Yerevan and Baku

PanARMENIAN.Net - Co-chair of the Congressional Caucus on Armenian Issues, Representative Joe Knollenberg (R - MI) addressed State Secretary Condoleezza Rice over providing unequal military assistance to Armenia and Azerbaijan. «This is a matter of individual needs and demands, however we remember it is necessary to keep parity. We now work with both parties,» Rice said. In her words, Armenia received a grant within the Millennium Challenge Account, while Azerbaijan did not. "Thus, looking wider, it is seen that we have good relations with the parties," the State Secretary said. Joe Knollenberg remarked that owing to the Nagorno Karabakh problem Armenia and Azerbaijan preferred that the parties be treated in the same manner. In response, Rice said "parity cannot be kept for the sake of parity, one should try to establish normal relations between the parties and help them."



«Azerbaijan is not ready to take part in the Millennium Challenge Account now and we would not like Armenia to have an upper hand in the issue. The slight difference in the assistance to the two states can be endured,» Rice said, RFE/RL reports. It should be noted that the US budget for FY 2007 provides for allocating $4.5 million to Azerbaijan and $3.5 million to Armenia as military assistance.