Armenian Assembly of America
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PRESS RELEASE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
November 20, 2004
CONTACT: David Zenian
Email: Zenian@aaainc.org

CONGRESS AFFIRMS MILITARY ASSISTANCE PARITY FOR ARMENIA AND AZERBAIJAN
Assembly hails leadership of Congressman Knollenberg

Washington, DC – The House of Representatives today approved the
Omnibus Bill for Fiscal Year 2005, providing equal levels of military
assistance to Armenia and Azerbaijan. The spending package, which
allocates $8.75 million in military financing to both countries,
thwarts the Administration’s attempt to provide Azerbaijan a $6
million increase over Armenia by placing the neighboring countries
on equal footing.

“We commend Armenian Caucus Co-Chair Joe Knollenberg (R-MI), for his
outstanding leadership on the House Foreign Operations Subcommittee
on Appropriations to reinstate U.S. balance and impartiality in
dealing with the Karabakh conflict,” said Assembly Board of Trustees
Chairman Hirair Hovnanian. “We are also very appreciative of Senator
Mitch McConnell (R-KY), the Majority Whip and the Chair of the Senate
Foreign Operations Subcommittee on Appropriations, for his efforts
to maintain security assistance parity between Armenia and Azerbaijan
in the Senate version as well.”

“The Assembly welcomes today’s vote and praises our friends in both
chambers for their steadfast support on issues of importance to
the Armenian-American community,” said Assembly Board of Directors
Chairman Anthony Barsamian. He added that had the requested disparity
in military assistance been enacted, U.S. credibility as an impartial
and leading mediator in the ongoing Karabakh peace process would
have been hampered. It would have also potentially undermined the
fragile ten-year cease-fire between the neighboring countries, which
is particularly worrisome given Baku’s recent threats against Armenia
and Nagorno Karabakh.

In September, NATO canceled its PfP exercise in Baku due to
Azerbaijan’s barring of Armenia, an active participant in the program.
Azerbaijan’s refusal to honor international commitments is part of an
escalating pattern throughout 2004 of its hostility towards all things
Armenian. By not properly condemning the murder of an Armenian officer
at a NATO event earlier this year, by periodically threatening Armenia
and Karabakh with another military offensive, and by not denouncing
the remarks of its Defense Ministry spokesperson predicting Armenia’s
conquest by Azerbaijan within 25 years, Azerbaijan’s senior leadership
has repeatedly shown their true colors to the international community.

This month, the government of Azerbaijan proposed an ill-conceived
and one-sided U.N. General Assembly resolution that could derail
the Nagoro Karabakh peace process spearheaded by the Organization
for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) and the Minsk Group
co-chaired by the United States, France and Russia. It is a hostile
declaration against the entire negotiating process, including progress
made in the recent Astana round of negotiations.

For its part, the government of Armenia has repeatedly indicated
its desire to peacefully resolve the conflict, and prior to a full
settlement being achieved, has also offered confidence-building
measures (CBM’s) to bring immediate benefit to all peoples. Azerbaijan
has chosen a different approach – blockade, rejection of CBM’s and
increasingly shrill war rhetoric.

An integral component of U.S.-Armenia relationship is the security
dimension, which has grown considerably since the September 11,
2001 terrorist attacks on the United States. Since those seminal
events, the Armenian Government has undertaken a number of security
measures aimed at assisting the war on terrorism, measures which have
been praised by President Bush and other high-ranking U.S. officials.
Over the past few years, Armenia has also strengthened its ties to NATO
by following through on its Partnership for Peace (PfP) commitments,
sent a peacekeeping unit to Kosovo as part of KFOR, and is preparing
to send an Armenian contingent to Iraq to assist in the stabilization
and reconstruction efforts in that country.

The Omnibus spending package also approved “not less than” $75
million in assistance to Armenia, an increase of $13 million over
the Administration’s FY 2005 budget request. An additional $3 million
in humanitarian assistance for Nagorno Karabakh was also allocated.
Under the guidance of Senator McConnell, the Senate, for the first
time, provided an earmark for Karabakh. The United States remains the
only nation in the world that allocates direct humanitarian assistance
to Karabakh.

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 of the House Foreign
Operations Subcommittee on Appropriations Jim Kolbe (R-AZ) 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
continuing 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 Senate plans to vote on the spending measure later today.
Once passed by the other chamber, the bill will be sent to President
Bush for his expected signature.

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#2004-101

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