ANCA urges increased grassroots action in support of expanded U.S. aid to Artsakh, including funding for the Lady Cox Regional Rehabilitation Center in Stepanakert. Pro-Armenia and Artsakh advocates can take action at anca.org/aid
Urges Community Action
WASHINGTON—The Armenian National Committee of America continued calls for grassroots action to increase aid to Nagorno-Karabakh and foster stronger U.S.-Armenia trade relations, as President Obama rolled out his Fiscal Year 2017 (FY2017) budget request earlier today.
President Obama proposed a $22,412,000 allocation in economic aid to Armenia – a 22% increase over last year’s request, but far less than the $40,000,000 previously advanced by the ANCA and Congressional Armenian Caucus. The FY2017 request for Azerbaijan is $10,936,000. The White House’s proposal did maintain parity between Armenia and Azerbaijan in terms of appropriated military aid, with International Military Education and Training (IMET) assistance set at $600,000 and Foreign Military Finance (FMF) at $1,000,000. President Obama also requested $1,700,000 for International Narcotics Control and Law enforcement for Armenia.
Read the President’s FY2017 budget request dealing with foreign assistance priorities is available at:
“While we remain troubled that President Obama – in the face of increasing Azerbaijani cross-border aggression – would propose any military aid at all to Ilham Aliyev’s armed forces, we do appreciate that, in this context, the principle of military aid parity has been maintained to both Armenia and Azerbaijan,â€
