US congressmen call on to increase assistance to Republic of Armenia and Republic of Artsakh

Congressman Frank Pallone Jr. (D-NJ), along with 27 members of Congress, sent a letter on Wednesday to Chairwoman Kay Granger and Ranking Member Nita Lowey of the House Appropriations Subcommittee on the Department of State, Foreign Operations and Related Programs, requesting increased funding for Armenia and Nagorno Karabakh. Asbarez.com writes about this.

In preparing the Fiscal Year 2015 State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs Appropriations bill, the lawmakers are requesting that the subcommittee support increased funding for U.S. assistance to Armenia and Nagorno Karabakh.

Specifically, the representatives are asking the subcommittee to direct the U.S Agency for International Development (USAID) to spend at least $5 million in the fiscal year 2015 for humanitarian and development programs in Nagorno Karabakh and to ensure that at least $40 million in overall economic aid is appropriated for Armenia.

Joining Pallone as signatories on the letter are members of Congress, Michael Grimm, Jackie Speier, John F. Tierney, Loretta Sanchez, Jim Costa, James R. Langevin, Barbara Lee, Gary Peters, Katherine Clark, Jared Polis, Linda Sanchez, Judy Chu, Rush Holt, Dan Lipinski, Collin Peterson, Grace F. Napolitano, Anna G. Eshoo, Tim Bishop, David Cicilline, Brad Sherman, James P. Mcgovern, Carolyn Maloney, Bruce Braley, Chaka Fattah, Stephen F. Lynch, Jan Schakowsky and Dina Titus.

The group also requested that the U.S. close distribution gaps in need-based aid to at-risk populations in Syria, including Armenians and Christian communities, fund sustainable job creation programs in the Samtskhe-Javakheti region of Georgia, and suspend military aid to Azerbaijan until their government ceases cross-border attacks into Nagorno Karabakh and Armenia and agrees to settle regional conflicts by peaceful means.