KNOLLENBERG AND SCHIFF PRESS SEC. RICE ON WHITE HOUSE PROPOSAL TO BREAK ARMENIA-AZERBAIJAN MILITARY AID PARITY
armradio.am
13.03.2008 10:56
Armenian Caucus Co-Chairman Joe Knollenberg (R-MI) and Representative
Adam Schiff (D-CA) pressed Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice on the
Administration’s proposal to break an agreement to maintain military
aid parity between Armenia and Azerbaijan, citing Baku’s threats of
renewed aggression and its recent cross-border attacks against Nagorno
Karabakh, reported the Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA).
Calling the recent Azerbaijani attacks against Nagorno Karabakh’s
Mardakert region as the "the worst breach [of the cease fire] in over
10 years," Rep. Knollenberg asked Secretary Rice how the Administration
intends to respond to Azerbaijan’s aggression and war rhetoric. She
replied that, "we are very concerned about the heating up rhetoric
but I think the way to deal with this is to open channels to both
sides and to try to bring them to a solution."
Rep. Knollenberg followed up noting that, "I wasn’t the least bit
kidding about removing their military funding because if Azerbaijan is
building up to a point, that they have also said that they would move
into Armenia and challenge them whenever they want to because they have
an economic situation that is far stronger than Armenia, and in time
they probably could put together a military organization that would
march in and take over. Now that’s not the outcome any of us want,
but I am really concerned about that. That is why I am suggesting
that we take away their military funding or at least threaten it –
because they are threatening Armenia."
In response to Rep. Schiff’s concerns that the President’s budget
called for a break in military aid parity to Armenia and Azerbaijan,
Secretary Rice cited concerns about the current state of emergency in
Armenia. Rep. Schiff interjected that no state of emergency existed
when the President’s budget was announced in early February, prompting
Secretary Rice to state that Armenia received Millennium Challenge
Account funding and is the highest recipient of per capita aid in
the Caucasus.
The budget proposed by the White House last month sought to
dramatically slash aid to Armenia by 59%, and, once again, proposed
tipping the military aid balance in favor of Azerbaijan, despite
Baku’s threats to use it growing military arsenal to restart its war
against Armenia and Nagorno Karabagh.
Congressman Knollenberg and his Congressional Armenian Caucus
Co-Chairman Frank Pallone (D-NJ) are currently collecting signatures
from their House colleagues on a letter urging the leaders of the
US State-Foreign Operations Appropriations Subcommittee to support
provisions in the FY09 foreign aid bill that advance US interests
and American values in Armenia and the surrounding region.