SENATE APPROVES $75 MILLION FOR ARMENIA IN 2006
ArmenPress
July 21 2005
WASHINGTON, JULY 21, ARMENPRESS: The U.S. Senate voted 98 to 1 on
July 20 to approve the Fiscal Year (FY) 2006 Foreign Operations
Appropriations Bill which recommends $75 million in assistance
to Armenia and an additional $3 million in humanitarian aid to
Nagorno-Karabakh, the Armenian Assembly of America (AAA) reported.
The Senate action supports without changes the Armenia and
Nagorno-Karabakh provisions passed last month by the Senate
State, Foreign Operations Appropriations Subcommittee and the full
Appropriations Committee. The level of funding, equivalent to the
amount Armenia received in 2005, reflects a $20 million increase over
the Administration request to Congress made earlier this year. The
overall funding level to the former Soviet States was also increased
to $565 million, a 17 percent jump over the Administration’s request
for the region.
Wednesday vote also allocated $5 million in Foreign Military
Financing and $750,000 for International Military Education and
Training to Armenia as requested by the Administration. These funds
will improve inter-operability between Armenia’s military and its
Western partners, upgrade Armenia’s communication systems and better
its personnel training. The spending measure also includes $700,000 in
Nonproliferation, Antiterrorism, Demining and Related Projects (NADR)
funding for Armenia. Armenia’s neighbors, Georgia and Azerbaijan,
are set to receive $70.5 million and $38 million respectively. The
next step in the legislative process is for the House and Senate to
reconcile the differences in a conference committee.