Armenian Assembly of America
122 C Street, NW, Suite 350
Washington, DC 20001
Phone: 202-393-3434
Fax: 202-638-4904
Email: info@aaainc.org
Web:
 
PRESS RELEASE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
July 16, 2004
CONTACT: David Zenian
E-mail: zenian@aaainc.org

HOUSE PAVES WAY FOR SECURITY PARITY BETWEEN ARMENIA AND AZERBAIJAN
ADOPTS AMENDMENT TO FOREIGN OPERATIONS BILL ON ARMENIAN GENOCIDE

Washington, DC – The Armenian Assembly praised the House of Representatives
for its resounding vote Thursday in support of maintaining military aid
parity between Armenia and Azerbaijan.

The 365-41 vote, which upheld an earlier House Appropriations Committee
decision granting $5 million each in military financing to both countries,
reinstated parity in the FY 2005 Foreign Operations bill despite the Bush
Administration’s initial request of $8 million to Azerbaijan and only $2
million to Armenia.

Thursday’s vote also approved “not less than” $65 million in economic aid to
Armenia, an increase of $3 million over the Administration’s FY 2005 budget
request. An additional $5 million in humanitarian assistance for Nagorno
Karabakh was also allocated. The Administration did not propose any
assistance for Karabakh.

Once the Senate completes its action on the Foreign Operations bill, a joint
House-Senate Conference will meet to reconcile differences before sending it
to the White House for enactment.

“We applaud the House, along with Appropriations Committee Chairman Jim
Kolbe (R-AZ) and his Subcommittee for maintaining equal security assistance
between Armenia and Azerbaijan,” said Assembly Board of Directors Chairman
Anthony Barsamian, who has recently visited Armenia and the region to
discuss key issues with government officials, including the question of
parity and the level of military aid to Armenia.

“We are especially thankful to Armenian Caucus Co-Chair Joe Knollenberg
(R-MI) for taking the lead to reinstate U.S. balance and impartiality in
this matter,” Barsamian said.

Shortly before the vote, the House passed and included in the FY 2005
Foreign Operations bill an amendment introduced by Rep. Adam Schiff (D-CA)
prohibiting Turkey from using U.S. foreign aid funds in its ongoing campaign
to derail legislation recognizing the Armenian Genocide.

Speaking on the floor of the House, Rep. Schiff underlined the importance of
his amendment, and said:

“Today I offer a simple amendment that will honor the one and a half million
Armenians who perished in the Armenian Genocide of 1915 and 1923. I consider
this a sacred obligation to ensure that the men, women and children who
perished in the Armenian Genocide are not lost.”

Fellow Congressman Frank Pallone Jr., co-chairman of the Congressional
Caucus on Armenian Issues, praised the House for approving the Schiff
amendment and said:

“The passage of this amendment is a major victory. It clearly sends a
message that the United States House of Representatives will not tolerate
Turkey’s lobbying against the recognition of the Armenian Genocide.”

The Schiff amendment reads as follows:

“SEC. 576: None of the funds made available in this Act may be used by the
Government of Turkey to engage in contravention of section 1913 of title 18,
United States Code, relating to lobbying with appropriated monies, with
respect to H. Res. 193, Reaffirming support of the Convention on the
Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide and anticipating the 15th
anniversary of the enactment of the Genocide Convention Implementation Act
of 1987 (the Proxmire Act) on November 4, 2003.”

Earlier, also addressing the House before the vote, Rep. Knollenberg
emphasized the importance of parity in U.S. military assistance to Armenia
and Azerbaijan and said:

“Unfortunately, Armenia is a land-locked country surrounded by nations that
are hostile to it.  Because transportation routes into Armenia are sealed,
the Armenian economy is being strangled.  Therefore, it is appropriate for
the United States to provide substantial economic assistance.  This bill
provides $65 million in economic assistance for Armenia, which is an
increase above the Administration’s request.”
“We must also be very careful with the military assistance we provide to the
South Caucasus.  I believe it is absolutely critical to maintain complete
parity in military assistance to Armenia and Azerbaijan – and I am pleased
that this bill does exactly that,” he said.
In a letter dated February 10th of this year and sent to the 131 members of
the Congressional Caucus on Armenian Issues and 35 Senators, the Assembly
said that providing asymmetrical military assistance to Azerbaijan will not
only “have a potentially destabilizing effect on the South Caucasus,” but
also “damage U.S. credibility as an impartial and leading mediator in the
ongoing sensitive peace negotiations for the Nagorno Karabakh conflict.”

Knollenberg, in remarks last month, said “parity in military assistance to
Armenia and Azerbaijan is absolutely critical to maintaining the careful
balance between the two countries. We cannot settle for anything less. I’m
also pleased we were able to increase military assistance to Armenia to $5
million in order to help them modernize their equipment.”

This April, Armenian Caucus Co-Chair Frank Pallone, Jr. (D-NJ) and Caucus
member John E. Sweeney (R-NY), along with over 40 of their congressional
colleagues, wrote to Chairman Kolbe urging that the subcommittee maintain
symmetry in levels of any military/security assistance for Armenia and
Azerbaijan. In addition, they requested “not less than” $75 million in
economic assistance for Armenia and an additional $5 million in humanitarian
assistance for Nagorno Karabakh in FY 2005. The Assembly strongly supported
this initiative by urging Members to sign on to this letter during its
advocacy portion of its National Conference and via a nationwide Action
Alert.

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

NR#2004-067