Armenian National Committee of America
1711 N Street, NW
Washington, DC 20036
Tel. (202) 775-1918
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PRESS RELEASE
For Immediate Release
March 24, 2009
Contact: Elizabeth S. Chouldjian
Tel: (202) 775-1918
REPS. PALLONE AND KIRK LEAD CALLS FOR STRENGTHENING RESTRICTIONS ON
U.S. AID TO AZERBAIJAN; INCREASED ASSISTANCE TO ARMENIA AND NAGORNO
KARABAGH
— Legislators Call on Colleagues to Co-sign
letter to Key Foreign Aid Subcommittee
WASHINGTON, DC – With Congressional appropriators in the early
stages of crafting the Fiscal Year 2010 foreign aid bill,
Congressional Armenian Caucus Co-Chairs Frank Pallone (D-NJ) and
Mark Kirk (R-IL) earlier today urged their House colleagues to join
with them in backing the inclusion of a series of provisions aimed
at strengthening U.S. ties to Armenia and Nagorno Karabagh, and
bolstering the prospects for regional peace, reported the Armenian
National Committee of America (ANCA.)
"We commend the leadership of Representatives Pallone and Kirk in
ensuring that the foreign aid bill reflects America’s support for
Armenia and Nagorno Karabagh and furthers our nation’s efforts to
ensure a fair and lasting peace in the Caucasus region," stated
ANCA Executive Director Aram Hamparian. "We look forward to
working toward the adoption of the vital foreign aid priorities
outlined in the letter sent today by the Armenian Caucus Co-
Chairs."
In a March 24th "Dear Colleague" letter, Members of Congress were
encouraged to co-sign a letter to Foreign Operations Subcommittee
Chairwoman Nita Lowey (D-NY), a longstanding supporter of the U.S.-
Armenia relationship, and Ranking Republican Kay Granger (R-TX).
The letter cited six key foreign aid priorities, including:
— Enhancing restrictions on U.S. assistance to Azerbaijan, as
outlined in Section 907 of the Freedom Support Act, by further
limiting Presidential authority to waive the provision in light of
continued Azerbaijani government incitement of a military solution
of Nagorno Karabagh conflict.
— Increasing economic assistance to Armenia from the FY2009 level
of $48 million to $70 million.
— Increasing military assistance to Armenia from FY2009 level of
$3.3 million to $5 million.
— Increasing the amount and scope of U.S. assistance to Nagorno
Karabakh from the FY2009 level of $8 million in humanitarian aid to
$10 million in both humanitarian and developmental assistance.
— Including language "urging Azerbaijan to support confidence-
building measures that facilitate interaction among the parties, in
order to address regional security, resource management,
infrastructure, development and people to people programs."
— Removing restrictions on travel, contacts, and the free exchange
of ideas between U.S. officials and the democratically elected
leaders of Nagorno Karabakh.
Members of Congress will have until March 31st to join with Reps.
Pallone and Kirk to support these U.S. foreign aid priorities as
the foreign aid panel begins drafting the FY2010 foreign aid bill.
The full text of the letter follows.
#####
April 3, 2009
The Honorable Nita Lowey
Chairwoman
Appropriations Subcommittee on
State-Foreign Operations
Room HB-26, The Capitol Building
Washington, DC 20515
The Honorable Kay Granger
Ranking Member
Appropriations Subcommittee on
State-Foreign Operations
1016 Longworth House Office
Washington, DC 20515
Dear Chairwoman Lowey and Ranking Member Granger:
As you prepare the Fiscal Year 2010 State-Foreign Operations and
Related Programs Appropriations bill, we write in strong support of
U.S. assistance to Armenia and other aid related provisions that
contribute to peace and stability in the Caucasus region. We
respectfully request that you consider the following requests
listed in priority order:
Enhancing Section 907 of the Freedom Support Act
Section 907 of the FREEDOM Support Act continues to stand as a
powerful provision of U.S. law in principled opposition to
Azerbaijan’s blockades and other aggressive uses of force against
Armenia and Nagorno Karabakh.
As recently as December 31, 2008, on state television, President
Aliyev said that Azerbaijan would "if need be" resort to use of
military force against Nagorno Karabakh, noting that, "the war has
not finished yet," and that the Azerbaijani military is always
ready "to liberate our native land by any means." These statements
disrupt the ongoing OSCE peace process and represent a threat to
regional stability, which remain particularly tenuous in the
aftermath of the Russia-Georgia conflict.
As you know, the Fiscal Year 2002 Foreign Operations Appropriations
Act created a broad waiver authority that opened the door to
military assistance for Azerbaijan. In light of Azerbaijan’s
behavior, and as a contribution to the cause of a lasting and
equitable negotiated peace, we urge you to narrow this presidential
waiver as follows:
The President may waive section 907 of the FREEDOM Support Act if
he determines and certifies to the Committees on Appropriations
that to do so–
(A) the assistance is necessary to support United States efforts to
counter international terrorism, or to support the operational
readiness of United States Armed Forces or coalition partners to
counter international terrorism;
(B) the assistance will not undermine or hamper ongoing efforts to
negotiate a peaceful settlement between Armenia and Azerbaijan or
be used for offensive purposes against Armenia or Nagorno Karabakh;
and
(C) in the last fiscal year, Azerbaijan has not taken hostile
action, either through military force or incitement, including but
not limited to threatening pronouncements by government officials,
toward Armenia or Nagorno Karabakh.
Assuming all conditions of this new waiver authority can be met,
and military assistance is provided to Azerbaijan, we urge you to
uphold the Committee’s long-standing tradition of maintaining
parity in funding between Armenia and Azerbaijan.
Economic Assistance to Armenia
The people of Armenia continue to face the devastating impact of
Turkey and Azerbaijan’s dual blockades, illegal actions that,
according to World Bank estimates from several years ago, cost
Armenia roughly $720 million annually. Compounding the impact of
these blockades is the approximately $680 million loss to Armenia’s
economy, in the form of increased transportation costs, higher
prices, and lost investment, that resulted from the recent Russia-
Georgia conflict. During this conflict, Armenia provided
humanitarian, diplomatic and economic assistance to Georgia,
facilitated the sa! fe transit for U.S. and international
officials, and helped rebuild damaged Georgian infrastructure.
Until the recent world economic crisis, Armenia regularly
registered double-digit growth and was consistently cited as among
the most free economies in the region by the Wall Street Journal
and the Heritage Foundation’s Index of Economic Freedom. Our
assistance programs have played a vital role in promoting this
progress, as well as in the development of Armenia’s democratic
institutions, an effort made all the more pressing in light of the
divisive aftermath of the Armenian Presidential election.
We respectfully request that you include language within the
Assistance for Europe, Eurasia and Central Asia Account ensuring
that assistance increase from $48 million to $70 million for
Armenia in Fiscal Year 2010.
Military Assistance to Armenia
The U.S.-Armenia military relationship continues to expand in scope
and depth, building upon Armenia’s cooperation in anti-terrorism
efforts and its deployment of forces to both Iraq and Kosovo.
Armenia has entered into a NATO Individual Partnership Action Plan
(IPAP) and has worked closely with both NATO and the Defense
Department on a range of bilateral and multilateral agreements,
joint training programs, and military exercises. Additionally,
Armenia is now considering a military deployment to Afghanistan in
support of the International! Security Assistance Force (ISAF)
mission.
Past U.S. military aid has played a vital role in modernizing
Armenia’s armed forces, strengthening the principle of civilian
control, promoting increased NATO interoperability, and supporting
the growth of Armenia’s peacekeeping capabilities.
With these priorities in mind, we respectfully request that you
increase FMF funding for Armenia from $3 million to $4 million, and
increase IMET funding for Armenia to $1 million in Fiscal Year
2010.
Assistance to Nagorno Karabakh
The U.S. assistance program to Nagorno Karabakh, which has played a
critical role in meeting humanitarian needs among the population,
should, at this point, be officially redirected, by Congress and
the Administration, to include development priorities. We
respectfully request language directing USAID to increase
assistance from $8 million to $10 million in Fiscal Year 2010 for
humanitarian and development programs in Nagorno Karabakh.
Confidence Building Measures
As in years past, the Subcommittee has also provided funding for
confidence-building measures to help facilitate a peaceful
resolution of the Nagorno Karabakh conflict. In order to
facilitate peace, we recommend that these funds continue to be made
available for increased cooperation among Armenia, Azerbaijan and
Karabakh. In particular, we respectfully request language urging
Azerbaijan to support confidence-building measures that facilitate
interaction among the parties, in order to address regional
security, resource management, infrastructure, development and
people to people programs.
Removing restrictions on contacts and communication with Nagorno
Karabakh
The time has come for ending restrictions on travel, contacts, and
the free exchange of ideas between U.S. officials and the
democratically elected leaders of Nagorno Karabakh. These outdated
restrictions stand in the way of greater mutual understanding,
hinder direct oversight of U.S. assistance programs, block
cooperation on regional priorities, such as public health and anti-
narcotics efforts, undermine our effectiveness in promoting
democracy, and ultimately place artificial limits on our diplomatic
and civil society efforts to bring about a fair and durable peace.
We respectfully request that that the following report language be
included in the bill.
"In the interest of promoting mutual understanding, regional
cooperation, and a fair and lasting peace, the Committee directs
the Department of State, to remove any official or unofficial
restrictions on U.S.-Nagorno Karabakh travel, visitations,
discussions, meetings, contacts, consultations, exchange programs,
or other governmental or civil society communication, cooperation,
or interaction."
Thank you for your leadership on the Appropriations Subcommittee on
State-Foreign Operations and Related Programs. We are grateful for
your role in strengthening the relationship between the U.S. and
Armenia and on all the issues we have raised. We appreciate your
consideration of these requests.
Sincerely,
FRANK PALLONE, JR.
Member of Congress
MARK STEVEN KIRK
Member of Congress