ANCA Welcomes US Policy Shift Toward Direct Assistance to Persecuted Christians

October 26, 2017

The ANCA’s Aram Hamparian with His Eminence Archbishop Oshagan Choloyan, Prelate of the Prelacy of the Armenian Apostolic Church of Eastern U.S., Rev. Berdj Jambazian, Minister of Union of the Armenian Evangelical Church of North America, and Mr. Zaven Khanjian, Executive Director and CEO of the Armenian Missionary Association of America at the In Defense of Christians 2017 Solidarity Dinner.

WASHINGTON ”“ The United States will open a new channel of direct U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) assistance, administered by faith-based groups and other non-government organizations, to help persecuted Christians and other at-risk Middle East populations, in a policy shift long sought by Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA), In Defense of Christians (IDC), and a broad range of coalition partners and Congressional allies. The new policy was announced Wednesday evening by Vice-President Mike Pence at the IDC 2017 National Advocacy Summit Fourth Annual Solidarity Dinner, co-sponsored by the ANCA.

“We will no longer rely on the United Nations alone to assist persecuted Christians and minorities in the wake of genocide and the atrocities of terrorist groups,”