FRANK PALLONE AND FRANK LOBIONDO CALL ON US CONGRESS TO MAINTAIN VOLUMES OF FOREIGN AID TO ARMENIA
ArmInfo
2009-10-28 12:51:00
ArmInfo. Congressional Armenian Caucus Co-Chair Frank Pallone and New
Jersey Republican Frank LoBiondo were joined by dozens of their House
Colleagues in urging Senate and House Appropriations Committee leaders
to maintain $48 million in U.S. assistance to Armenia, increased
aid to Nagorno Karabagh, and continued military assistance parity to
Armenia and Azerbaijan in the fiscal year (FY) 2010 foreign aid bill.
As Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA) reported, Aram
Hamparian, Executive Director of the ANCA thanked Congressmen Pallone
and LoBiondo for their work, as well as expressed gratitude to Nita
Lowey, Adam Schiff, Mark Kirk, Steve Rothman, and Jesse Jackson for
their work in support of the pro-Armenia provisions in the FY2010
foreign aid bill. "We are hopeful that the conference committee,
which will be called to reconcile the Senate and House versions of
this legislation, will approve the higher House figures for aid to
Armenia and Nagorno Karabagh, endorse the House’s decision to maintain
military aid parity between Armenia and Azerbaijan, and support the
House language reaffirming Section 907 of the Freedom Support Act",
A. Hamparian said.
To recall, the House approved a bill according to which it is
scheduled to allocate $48 mln to Armenia and $10 mln to Nagorno
Karabakh for 2010. At the same time, according to the bill, approved
by Appropriations Committee of US Senate, $30 mln assistance is
envisaged for Armenia, that is less by $18 mln than in 2009. A joint
commission of the houses’ representatives will be created till late,
2009, to consider every provision and submit the final version to
the president to sign.