US ASSISTANCE TO ARMENIA TO MAKE $67.6 IN 2006
Pan Armenian News
17.06.2005 06:06
/PanARMENIAN.Net/ The House Appropriations Subcommittee has maintained
robust aid levels to Armenia and Nagorno Karabakh despite ongoing
overall reductions to former Soviet states, the Armenian Assembly
of America reported. The Fiscal Year (FY) 2006 Foreign Operations
Appropriations Bill, which lawmakers passed by voice vote, calls for
$67.5 million for Armenia, up to $5 million for Nagorno Karabakh and
maintains military assistance parity between Armenia and Azerbaijan
with $5.75 million allocated to each country. The level of funding
for Armenia is $12.5 million above the Bush Administration’s request
submitted to Congress earlier this year. The overall request level is
part of a continued trend that reflects a serious drop in US assistance
to the former Soviet states – specifically from $555 million in FY 2005
to $477 million for FY 2006. Today’s action also allocated $5 million
in Foreign Military Financing and $750,000 for International Military
Education and Training to both Armenia and Azerbaijan, as requested
by the Bush Administration. These funds will improve inter-operability
between Armenia’s military and its Western partners, upgrade Armenia’s
communication systems and better its personnel training. The bill will
next be considered by the full House Appropriations Committee. Once the
full House and Senate complete action on their version of the bill, a
joint House-Senate Conference Committee will reconcile the differences.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress