ANCA welcomes US Embassy announcement of $60m in Armenia assistance for 2019

The Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA) has voiced support for a recent US Embassy announcement that US assistance to Armenia will reach $60 million in 2019, and also requested a detailed description of these funds, with emphasis on the disparity in US military assistance to Armenia and Azerbaijan.

“We welcome Ambassador’s Tracy’s announcement that aid to Armenia will top $60 million for FY19, which she described as a 40% increase over the previous year,” said ANCA Executive Director Aram Hamparian. “We look forward to the US Embassy publicly providing a detailed breakdown by fiscal year, sponsoring agency, area of activity, and specific program – with a particular focus on how US Defense Department aid to Armenia matches up against its spending in Azerbaijan.”

On Monday, the US Embassy in Armenia released a statement noting the 40% increase in aid to Armenia, in “projects managed by not only the Department of State and the US Agency for International Development, but also the Department of Energy, the US Forest Service, and the Department of Defense.”

“The United States has sought to support the development of democratic processes and institutions in Armenia for the last 27 years, and we certainly do not intend to change that now, at a time when democracy in Armenia is stronger than ever,” US Ambassador Lynne M. Tracy said in the statement posted on the US Embassy to Armenia website. “That is why we are proud to announce more than $60 million in assistance funding to Armenia this year.”

According to the US Embassy the additional funds will cover a broad range of programmatic areas, including “anti-corruption, security, energy, education, English language, forest service, human rights, civil society, and the strengthening of transparent and accountable government institutions, including the law enforcement, justice and judicial sectors.”

Alongside increased US assistance to Armenia, the ANCA has been working closely with the Congressional Armenian Caucus to clarify reports of a dramatic increase in US military assistance to Azerbaijan, breaking parity in military aid to Armenia. According to a September 27th letter by Congressional Armenian Caucus leaders Frank Pallone (D-NJ), Jackie Speier (D-CA) and Adam Schiff (D-CA), Azerbaijan received Department of Defense security assistance of $42.9 million in FY2019, compared to $2.8 million provided to Armenia. The letter outlined Congressional concern that military assistance to Azerbaijan “will be used to further perpetuate aggression against Armenia and Nagorno Karabakh.”