BAKU: US Congress Reducing Financial Aid To Armenia And Self-Appoint

US CONGRESS REDUCING FINANCIAL AID TO ARMENIA AND SELF-APPOINTED NKR

Today, Azerbaijan
Dec 18 2007

The House of representatives of US congress and US Senate coordinated
the volume of aid to Armenia and unrecognized "Nagorno-Garabagh
Republic for 2008, reducing it as compared to 2007.

Thus, in 2008 the aide to Armenia will total $58.5 million and to
Nagorno Garabagh-USD 3 million, which is lower than in 2007.

On June 12, 2007, the House of Representatives of the US Congress
adopted its own version of the draft law for a fiscal year of 2008,
according to which Armenia will receive $68 million as an economic
aid from US and $6 million as a direct aid to the self-appointed
"Nagorno Garabagh Republic".

Moreover, the draft law envisions military aid of $3 million to Armenia
and Azerbaijan for external military funding and $500 thousand for
international military education and trainings.

In line with the draft law, adopted by the US Senate on September 6,
Armenia will receive $39 million which is $4 million higher than
requested by the President.

Yet the draft law does not envision assets for the "Nagorno Garabagh
Republic" or mention the parity issue in military aide.

On June 29 of 2006, the Committee on External Assignments of the US
Senate approved the provision of financial aid to Armenia in the amount
of $58 million for a fiscal year of 2007, which is $17 million lower
as compared to a fiscal year of 2006, as well as assignments for the
unrecognized "Nagorno Garabagh Republic" in the amount of $5 million,
which is $2 million higher as compared to 2006.