Armenian army efficiency doesn't depend on size of U.S. aid

PanARMENIAN.Net - If the U.S. can explain disparity in military aid to Armenia and Azerbaijan, it will be possible to make comments, RA Deputy Defense Minister, lieutenant general Artur Aghabekyan said in Yerevan today. In his words, the United States should prove that violation of parity will not have any impact of the regional security. "This story repeats itself every year and then parity is restored. Let's live and see. I should stress that the efficiency of the Armenian army doesn't depend on the size of U.S. assistance. However, the international community should be sure that neither of conflicting sides receives more armament than the other," Artur Aghabekian said.



The Bush Administration, in its FY2008 federal budget, has proposed a 49% cut in aid to Armenia, and is - once again - seeking to break the agreement it struck with Congress more than five years ago to maintain parity in military aid levels to Armenia and Azerbaijan. The President's budget recommends cutting U.S. economic aid to Armenia from the FY2006 actual level of $69 million to a proposed FY2008 level of $35 million.ANCA (Armenian National Committee of America) reports, that moreover, the budget proposal does not include any specific assistance figures for Nagorno Karabakh. The proposed military aid cuts come in two broad categories, Foreign Military Financing (FMF) and International Military Education and Training (IMET). The proposed FY2008 FMF figure for Armenia is $3 million, a cut of $960,000, fully 30% less than the proposed FY2008 figure for Azerbaijan of $4.3 million. The President is seeking only $300,000 in IMET for Armenia, down $538,000 from FY2006, a dramatic cut of 64%. In sharp contrast, the White House is proposing that Azerbaijan receive $1 million in IMET, a considerable increase over their FY2006 level of $823,000 and more than three times the IMET levels being proposed for Armenia. Overall, the President's budget proposes 38% less in U.S. military aid for Armenia than for Azerbaijan.