Society 11:11 14/03/2019 Armenia

Armenian Assembly of America urges Congress to provide $100 million in aid to Armenia

Testifying in person before the House Appropriations Subcommittee on State Foreign Operations and Related Programs (Subcommittee) of the U.S. Congress, on behalf of the Armenian Assembly of America (Assembly), Board of Trustees Co-Chairman Van Krikorian urged the Subcommittee to allocate $100 million in democracy and economic assistance, and at least $10 million in Foreign Military Financing (FMF) and International Military Education Training (IMET) to Armenia for Fiscal Year (FY) 2020, with at least $25 million in assistance to Artsakh, the Assembly said.

“Armenia had a remarkable year. The Economist objectively named it the country of the year because of the democratic changes – peaceful change in government, extremely clean elections, rule of law, you name it – across the board. Time Magazine named the current leader of Armenia ‘Crusader for Democracy,'” Krikorian said.

Given this watershed moment in history, Krikorian explained “that’s why we’re asking for something substantially more. We’re asking for $100 million in economic and democracy aid to Armenia; we’re asking for $10 million in FMF and IMET; we’re asking for $20 million because Armenia has resettled [Christians at risk] from Syria and the Middle East and given them a safe haven; and finally we are asking for $25 million for the benefit of Nagorno Karabakh, just one of the places where The Halo Trust works, but has also been a model of democracy in the region,” he stated.

The Assembly’s written testimony also discussed the need for aid given Turkey and Azerbaijan’s ongoing blockades of Armenia and Artsakh, the need to fully enforce Section 907 of the Freedom Support Act, as well as targeted assistance for economic development and job-creation programs in the Samtskhe-Javakheti region of Georgia.

In addition to Krikorian, other witnesses who testified today included the American Bar Association (ABA), the Asia Foundation, The HALO Trust, and the International Foundation for Electoral Systems (IFES), among others. Krikorian picked up on a question raised by Congresswoman Lois Frankel (D-FL) about democracy backsliding, what the United States can do about corruption, and how it can help.

“First of all, reward people who have made progress towards democracy. And second of all, when it comes to corruption, I think the United States has to look at whether examples are made of corrupt individuals. They targeted high profile people who were corrupt and they went after them. The United States still uses that philosophy successfully. The fact that we write and laws when judges themselves can be corrupt is completely counterproductive,” Krikorian said. “In our experience, going after people, even if it’s years later, to say that ‘you cannot get away with this, there will be consequences, the Rule of Law will apply’ is the best approach. And I would expect that if countries were analyzed based on that – which it doesn’t always have to be punitive, it can also be forms of a reconciliation type of process where people acknowledge what they’ve taken and give it back – I think might be a good metric for this Committee and the United States to start using,” he added.

Krikorian welcomed the recent announcement that the Department of Justice is going to more actively enforce the Foreign Agent Registration Act (FARA). He pointed out that the last organization scheduled to testify has been clearly identified as one that benefits from corrupt funds from a foreign government – Azerbaijan – and has not reported it under the foreign agent registration act, nor has it reported under Congress’ lobbying laws.

Krikorian’s panel included The HALO Trust, whose humanitarian work in the South Caucasus has saved lives from being lost needlessly, and especially considering the pressure Azerbaijan has put to stop that demining work in Artsakh.

“I think this Committee can do a world of good if it removes restrictions on U.S. aid to them, removing mines based on artificial Soviet borders,” Krikorian said.



Source Panorama.am
Share |
Տեքստում սխալ կամ վրիպակ նկատելու դեպքում, ուղարկեք խմբագրին հաղորդագրություն` նշելով տվյալ սխալը, այնուհետև սեղմելով Ctrl-Enter:

Newsfeed

17:12
She said yes: Marriage proposal at Hayat Project concert in Gyumri
A young man proposed to his beloved at a Hayat Project concert in Gyumri, Armenia’s second largest city. In a video posted online, the...
16:45
Opposition MP slams Pashinyan's Artsakh statements
Opposition Hayastan faction MP Ishkhan Saghatelyan has expressed support to the Artsakh government in exile following Armenian Prime Minister...
16:04
MP Aghvan Vardanyan visits arrested activists
MP Aghvan Vardanyan, who represents the opposition Hayastan faction, on Thursday visited the Armavir Penitentiary where activists Vazgen...
15:36
Armenian opposition MP visits border villages
Opposition MP Tigran Abrahamyan has visited the villages of Voskepar and Baghanis in Tavush Province adjacent to the border areas demanded by...
15:04
Ex-Yerevan mayor setting up new party
Former Yerevan Mayor Hayk Marutyan is setting up a new party in the near future, his team has confirmed to RFE/RL’s Armenian Service....
14:36
Armenia to send 29.94 tons of humanitarian aid to Gaza
Armenia will deliver 29.94 tons of humanitarian aid to Gaza ravaged by the conflict with Israel. The decision was approved at a cabinet...
14:07
Expert: Pashinyan decided to terrorize Artsakh leaders
Political analyst Suren Surenyants has criticized Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan’s statements on Artsakh leaders at a cabinet meeting on...
13:35
Analyst: The West doesn't care about Armenia
The West wants Armenia and Azerbaijan to sign a peace treaty as soon as possible and Armenia's territorial losses do not matter to it,...
13:06
Moscow concerned over anti-Russian bias of Armenia-EU-US meeting
The Armenia-EU-US meeting scheduled for April 5 is causing Moscow’s concern as Washington and Brussels are openly discussing its...
12:37
Pashinyan: Some circles displaced from Karabakh take actions threatening Armenia's security
Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan warns that the actions taken by “some circles” forcibly displaced from Nagorno-Karabakh (Artsakh)...
12:04
Artsakh dissolution decree was 'the only way' to save people, president says
President Samvel Shahramanyan claims his decree ordering the dissolution of the Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh) Republic was the “only...
11:30
Japanese supplement products recalled after two deaths and over 100 people hospitalized
Health supplement products believed to have caused two deaths and sickened more than 100 people have been ordered to be taken off store shelves...
11:15
Today is Holy Thursday
The week leading up to Easter or Holy Resurrection is called Holy Week (in Armenian Avak Shabat). During this period, the Armenian Apostolic...
11:00
Upcoming Armenia-US-EU meeting not directed against any third party – Foreign Ministry
The high-level meeting scheduled for April 5 in Brussels is aimed at strengthening Armenia-EU-US cooperation and is not directed against...
17:00
Azerbaijan's team opts out of Sambo World Cup in Yerevan
Azerbaijan's national team will not participate in the Sambo World Cup to be held in Yerevan, Armenia, Azerbaijani Sambo Federation official...
16:45
Biden calls Putin 'butcher'
US President Joe Biden has disparaged his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin for the second time in two months, publicly calling him a...
16:30
Armenian parliament speaker defends land handover to Azerbaijan
Armenian National Assembly Speaker Alen Simonyan has defended the plans to hand over border villages in Tavush Province to Azerbaijan. He...
16:04
Azerbaijan must create conditions for safe return of Armenians to Nagorno-Karabakh, UK says
The UK government is clear that Azerbaijan must create the conditions for a safe and secure return of ethnic Armenians who were displaced from...
15:35
Photo campaign calls for release of political prisoners in Armenia
A photo campaign for the release of Armenian opposition activists has been launched in Yerevan. Photos of political prisoners Narek...
15:15
Arthur Abraham's father dies at 68
German-Armenian boxing star Arthur Abraham’s father, Grigor Abrahamyan, has died in Berlin at the age of 68. “We’re deeply...
15:00
Armenian MP warns of threats after possible land handover to Azerbaijan
Opposition MP Tigran Abrahamyan has warned of threats to a number of settlements in Armenia amid Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan’s signaled...
14:31
EU mission hosts French ambassador to Armenia
The EU Mission in Armenia (EUMA) on Wednesday hosted French Ambassador to Armenia Olivier Decottignies and members of the French...
14:06
Azerbaijan opposes Armenia-EU-US conference
The Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry has deplored the EU-Armenia-US joint conference scheduled for 5 April, warning that it will create...
13:36
Political prisoner Vazgen Saghatelyan slams Pashinyan in letter from prison
Political prisoner Vazgen Saghatelyan has blasted Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and his regime for efforts to silence their critics in...
12:34
U.S. aims to encourage Armenia and Azerbaijan to bridge differences – State Dept.
The objective of the United States is to encourage Armenia and Azerbaijan to bridge their differences, U.S. State Department...
12:15
Ukraine tells EU to hand over 'missing' €5B in Russian asset profits
Ukraine is pushing for another €5 billion from the proceeds generated by frozen Russian assets that the EU has decided to withhold from the...
12:00
Eurovision 2024: Semi-final running orders revealed
The running orders of the Eurovision Song Contest 2024 semi-finals have been revealed. Armenia’s Ladaniva will perform 8th in the...
11:45
Today marks Holy Wednesday
The week leading up to Easter or Holy Resurrection is called Holy Week (in Armenian Avak Shabat). During this period, the Armenian Apostolic...
11:30
Denialists Erdogan and Netanyahu shamefully exploit the term genocide to bash each other
By Harut Sassounian www.thecaliforniacourier.com For several decades, Israel and Turkey were in a honeymoon, supporting each other...
11:10
SME loan portfolio of Ameriabank reported more than 30% growth in 2023
The small and medium enterprise (SME) loan portfolio of Ameriabank increased by more than 30% in 2023 to reach to AMD 222.6 billion as of...

Follow us and get updates!

Most popular articles

{"core.blocks.header.spell_message1":"Selected mistake: ","core.blocks.header.spell_message2":"Send a message about the mistake?"}