ANCA submits foreign aid priorities to U.S. House, Senate

PanARMENIAN.Net - In the wake of last week's grassroots Fly-In to Washington, Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA) Legislative Affairs Director Raffi Karakashian has submitted testimony to key U.S. House and Senate panels supporting the foreign aid priorities of the Congressional Armenian Caucus and outlining the Armenian American community's specific appropriations requests for Fiscal Year (FY) 2017.

The Armenian American community requests:

1) At least $5 million in U.S. developmental aid to Nagorno Karabakh, with special focus on expanding the Lady Cox Rehabilitation Center in Stepanakert, a regional clinic serving over 1,000 children and adults with physical and mental disabilities every year.

2) Zero-out U.S. military aid to Azerbaijan until its leaders agree with the Royce-Engel peace proposals to withdraw snipers and heavy arms, add OSCE observers, and deploy gunfire locator systems.

3) At least $40 million in U.S. economic assistance to Armenia, targeted to growing the U.S.-Armenia trade and investment relationship.

4) At least $10 million in emergency aid to help Armenia provide transition assistance to the nearly 20,000 people who have fled to Armenia from Syria and elsewhere in the Middle East.

5) At least 10% of U.S. assistance to Georgia to be used for job creation programs in the Samtskhe-Javakheti region of that country.

6) Language strengthening Section 907 restrictions on U.S. aid to Azerbaijan.

7) Ending the exclusion of the Republic of Nagorno Karabakh from the peace process.