Armenian Assembly of America welcomes congressional letter urging
increased funding to Armenia, NKR
26.03.2010 12:25 GMT+04:00
/PanARMENIAN.Net/ The Armenian Assembly of America (Assembly) welcomed
a letter sent by U.S. Rep. Frank Pallone, Jr. (D-NJ), along with 27
Members of Congress, to the Chair and Ranking Member of the House
Appropriations Subcommittee on the Department of State, Foreign
Operations and Related Programs.
In the letter sent to Chairwoman Nita Lowey (D-NY) and Ranking Member
Kay Granger (R-TX), the lawmakers urged $70 million be appropriated to
Armenia in Economic Assistance and $10 million to Nagorno Karabakh for
humanitarian and development programs. In addition, the letter
included language urging the reinstatement of parity in military
assistance between Armenia and Azerbaijan, the strengthening of
Section 907 of the Freedom Support Act, and recognizes the importance
of including representatives of Nagorno Karabakh in the peace
negotiations.
As Armenia continues its commitment to normalizing relations with
Turkey, the letter pointed out that "…Turkey continues to include
preconditions that threaten the integrity of current negotiations, the
U.S. should continue its important support of Armenia."
"The Armenian Assembly appreciates the efforts of Armenian Caucus
Co-Chair Rep. Frank Pallone, Jr. and his fellow colleagues," said
Assembly Congressional Relations Associate Bianka Dodov. "The letter
not only addresses the economic and political challenges faced by
Armenia and Nagorno Karabakh, but also recounts the longstanding and
growing friendship between Armenia and the United States."
The Congressional letter reiterated Armenia’s progress in economic
development and poverty reduction noting, "Until the recent world
economic crisis, Armenia regularly registered double-digit growth and
has been 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 that has seen substantial
advancement."
Established in 1972, the Armenian Assembly of America is the largest
Washington-based nationwide organization promoting public
understanding and awareness of Armenian issues. The Assembly is a
501(c)(3) tax-exempt membership organization.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress
