Members of Congress urge higher Armenia aid for 2010

Send letter to House and Senate panels

by Emil Sanamyan

Published: Thursday October 29, 2009

Rep. Frank Pallone, Jr. (D.-N.J.) and Rep. Frank LoBiondo (R.-N.J.).

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Washington - Twenty-nine members of the House of Representatives urged Senate and House appropriators to agree to allocate $48 million in U.S. assistance to Armenia, $10 million to Nagorno-Karabakh, and $3.45 million in military aid to Armenia in fiscal year 2010.

Congress last year allocated $48 million in assistance to Armenia, $8 million to Karabakh, and $3.45 million in military aid to Armenia.

The October 26 letter was circulated by the offices of Armenian Caucus co-chair Rep. Frank Pallone (D.-N.J.) and caucus member Rep. Frank LoBiondo (R.-N.J.) and was address to the chairs and ranking members of the Senate and House foreign aid panels.

Bills adopted by the Senate and the House of Representatives' foreign aid panels earlier this year differed in the amounts allocated to Armenia programs. While the House agreed to the figures above, the Senate committee endorsed lower figures proposed by the Obama administration. The full Senate is now expected to adopt its foreign aid bill and then reconcile it with the House version in an annual conference meeting.

The House bill also strengthened congressional oversight authority on U.S. aid to Azerbaijan and how it might impact the Karabakh peace process.

At the start of 2010 appropriations process, the co-chairs of the Armenian caucus, Mr. Pallone and Rep. Mark Kirk (R.-Ill.) had recommended $70 million in aid for Armenia, $10 million for Nagorno-Karabakh, and $5 million for the Armenian military.

The Obama administration proposed $30 million in aid for Armenia, no allocation to Karabakh, and $3.45 million in aid to the Armenian military. It proposed more aid to the Azerbaijani military, which would violate the longstanding principle of military aid parity for Armenia and Azerbaijan.

Immediately after the release of the administration's budget request, Ambassador Marie Yovanovitch announced that the figures had been proposed with the expectation that Congress would increase the amounts. During a visit to Yerevan, Assistant Secretary of State Philip Gordon confirmed that the administration has anticipated the House revision of the foreign-aid request for Armenia.

Nonetheless, with the Senate panel adopting the administration's request without modification, the matter must be resolved in the House-Senate conference meeting.

In the October 26 letter, members argued, "it is important that Congress demonstrates bipartisan support for Armenia and Nagorno Karabakh," noting "Turkey and Azerbaijan's dual blockades," losses sustained by Armenia during the August 2008 war between Russia and Georgia, Armenia's granting of safe transit to officials traveling to and from Georgia, and Armenia's cooperation "in anti-terrorism efforts" and its deployment of forces to Iraq and Kosovo.

 *The Senate panel endorsed the administration figure for aid to Armenia and made no specific request for aid to Karabakh or military aid to Armenia and Azerbaijan. Senate and House number now need to be reconciled in Senate-House conference expected in the next few weeks.

The following members of Congress signed the October 26 letter:

Rep. Frank Pallone, Jr. (D.-N.J.)

Rep. Frank  LoBiondo (R.-N.J.)

Rep. Bruce  Braley (D.-Iowa)

Rep. Dennis  Cardoza (D.-Calif.)

Rep. Jim  Costa (D.-Calif.)

Rep. Jerry  Costello (D.-Ill.)

Rep. Anna  Eshoo (D.-Calif.)

Rep. Chaka  Fattah (D.-Pa.)

Rep. Barney  Frank (D.-Mass.)

Rep. Elton  Gallegly (R.-Calif.)

Rep. Scott  Garrett (R.-N.J.)

Rep. Rush  Holt (D.-N.J.)

Rep. James  Langevin (D.-R.I.)

Rep. Daniel  Lipinski (D.-Ill.)

Rep. Stephen  Lynch (D.-Mass.)

Rep. Carolyn  Maloney (D.-N.Y.)

Rep. Edward  Markey (D.-Mass.)

Rep. James  McGovern (D.-Mass.)

Rep. Candice  Miller (R.-Mich.)

Rep. Grace  Napolitano (D.-Calif.)

Rep. Gary  Peters (D.-Mich.)

Rep. Collin  Peterson (D.-Minn.)

Rep. John  Sarbanes (D.-Md.)

Rep. Jan  Schakowsky (D.-Ill.)