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Legislative Request:
The ANCA calls on Congress to invest in peace by appropriating at least $50,000,000 in urgently needed U.S. humanitarian aid to Artsakh (Nagorno Karabakh).
The following language should be included in the FY23 State-Foreign Operations bill:
Of the funds appropriated under this act making appropriations for the Department of State, foreign operations, and related programs not less than $50,000,000 shall be made available for global health, humanitarian, and stabilization assistance for the Armenian population in Artsakh.
What’s at Stake:
Prospects for regional peace and lasting stability.
The survival of an ancient nation on its indigenous homeland.
Why it Matters:
Congress needs to act now because the Administration – under pressure from Azerbaijan – has effectively cut off desperately needed U.S. humanitarian aid to Artsakh.
Without U.S. humanitarian aid Azerbaijan will starve Artsakh’s at-risk Armenian population of food, water, and other life-sustaining resources.
Key Points:
— Renewed U.S. aid to Artsakh represents an investment in lasting peace.
— U.S. aid to Artsakh will provide over 90,000 displaced Armenians with life-saving water, food, healthcare, and clearance of unexploded ordnance.
— Since 2020 USAID has provided almost no assistance at all to Armenians in Artsakh.
— The Administration’s decision to stop U.S. aid to Artsakh rewards Azerbaijan’s aggression, helping it complete the ethnic cleansing of Artsakh.
— Azerbaijan’s oil-rich Aliyev regime – which has received $164,000,000 in U.S. military aid – does not deserve a veto over U.S. humanitarian aid policy.
Background:
The United States has, since FY98, provided direct aid to Artsakh, helping its peaceful inhabitants with maternal health care, clean drinking water, and life-saving demining.
In the wake of Azerbaijan’s 2020 attack, however, the U.S. – under pressure from Azerbaijan – has effectively blocked additional U.S. aid to Artsakh, even after USAID reported to Congress that 90,000 Armenians driven from their Artsakh homes face an “acute humanitarian crisis.”
The immediate humanitarian and development needs confronting the families of Artsakh –helping them rebuild their lives and resettle in safety upon their indigenous Armenian homeland – are estimated at well over $250,000,000.
The PDF version of the ANCA policy brief is available at:
https://anca.org/assets/pdf/ANCAPolicyBrief_ArtsakhAid_June22.pdf
June, 2022