Over 65 US House members call for $100m in US aid for Artsakh and Armenia  

A bipartisan group of over 65 US House members joined in the Congressional Armenian Caucus request for the House Appropriations to allocate over $100 million in US aid to Armenia and Artsakh following Turkey and Azerbaijan’s devastating attacks last year, a key policy priority of the Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA).

US Representatives sent a letter to House Appropriations Subcommittee on Foreign Operations Chairwoman Barbara Lee (D-CA) and Ranking Member Hal Rogers (R-KY), as the panel begins crafting the FY2022 Foreign Aid Bill.

“We want to thank Armenian Caucus leaders and Congressional cosigners from across the US for supporting US re-engagement through robust US assistance to Artsakh, an immediate cut-off in all US aid to Azerbaijan, and strong support for the sovereignty of Armenia as a pillar of regional security architecture,” said ANCA Government Affairs Director Tereza Yerimyan. “We look forward to working closely with House and Senate appropriators to ensure maximum funding reaches Armenians displaced by Turkish and Azerbaijani aggression, as Artsakh rebuilds from the devastating war.”

“The United States is uniquely positioned to help Armenia that has been shaken by last year’s war in Artsakh and the resulting uncertainty. Providing significant economic assistance to Armenia will help make its people more secure, bolster its democracy, help sustain economic development, stabilize its civil society, and aid its response to the COVID-19 pandemic and, most urgently, alleviate the ongoing humanitarian crisis in Artsakh,” said Congressional Armenian Caucus Co-Chair Frank Pallone (D-NJ), who along with Co-Chair Jackie Speier (D-CA) and Vice-Chair Adam Schiff (D-CA), led the effort. “This investment will strengthen the U.S.-Armenia relationship, help Armenia rebuild, and solidify democracy in the region.”

In a letter to their Congressional colleagues, Reps. Pallone, Speier, and Schiff  wrote: “The below requests for Armenia and the Republic of Artsakh in the Fiscal Year 2022 State, Foreign Operations and Related Programs appropriations bill are critical for assisting the country in helping to make its people more secure, bolster its democracy and sustainable economic development, stabilize its civil society, aid its response to the COVID-19 pandemic and, most urgently, alleviate the ongoing humanitarian crisis in Artsakh,” which included the following budgetary requests:

— Robust funding to directly aid the Armenian people of Nagorno Karabakh to recover and rebuild, including urgently needed housing, food security, water and sanitation, medical and refugee assistance, rehabilitation, and infrastructure needs.

— $2 million for Conventional Weapons Destruction programs in Nagorno Karabakh.

— $100 million for economic, governance, rule of law, and security assistance to Armenia through State Department and USAID accounts.

— The suspension of all US security assistance for Azerbaijan until it has been verified to have ceased all attacks against Armenia and Artsakh.

Over 50,000 letters were sent through the ANCA March to Justice advocacy portal urging legislators to cosign the Armenian Caucus letter to US House appropriators.