Garabagh separatists to be stripped off US aid
The US government intends to sever aid to the
self-proclaimed republic operating in Upper (Nagorno) Garabagh, an
Azerbaijani region currently under Armenian occupation, in line
with Azerbaijan`s interests. At the same time, it plans to increase
the volume of military aid to Azerbaijan and reduce planned
military aid to Armenia for the 2010 fiscal year, although the
measure still requires Congressional approval which may be hard to
secure.
Washington has proposed allocating $30 million to Armenia in 2010 instead of $48 million designated for 2009, the Panarmenian news agency reported. Moreover, the US administration is seeking to allot $3m in military assistance to the country in 2010, compared to $4m planned for Azerbaijan. The U.S. plans to allot $450,000 to Armenia as part of its military training program, while the figure for Azerbaijan will be double that amount.
But the most noteworthy is the fact that the US government did not include a provision on providing humanitarian aid to Upper Garabagh in its assistance package. This follows the approval of such aid, worth $8m to the self-styled republic in the 2009 fiscal year, by a decision of the US Congress.
It is worth mentioning that the measure is merely a draft, not a final approved budget. Therefore, it is not time for Armenians to panic, nor should Azerbaijanis rejoice.
In any case, it should be admitted that the U.S. has always paid attention to Azerbaijan`s defense industry and it has recently further increased this attention. This is happening mainly for two reasons. First, key transnational energy supply routes, which represent one of the priorities for America in this vitally important region, lie through Azerbaijan. Second, the country is located on the coast of the Caspian Sea, which is flush with hydrocarbon resources.
However, analysts suggest that the US administration will face challenges in convincing Congressmen that increasing military aid to Azerbaijan is appropriate, despite Washington`s being upbeat about the idea. In fact, it is Congress, not the administration, that will have the final say, and the legislature will, most likely, focus on pertinent legal norms in dealing with the issue.
The point is that, with the suspension of Section 907 of the Freedom Support Act restricting US assistance to the Azerbaijani government, which has long been harmful to Baku`s interests, the US Congress pledged not to violate parity in the allocation of military assistance to Azerbaijan and Armenia. Therefore, it is quite likely that Congress will actually equalize the amount of funds designated by the White House for the two countries` defense spending.
As a result of the adoption of Section 907, which was considerably influenced by the Armenian lobby, Azerbaijan became the only republic of the former Soviet Union and the entire post-Communist bloc that had been deprived of the US government`s aid through legislative restrictions. This lack of balance was reinforced by the fact that nations unfriendly to the U.S., such as North Korea, for instance, were, for some reason, entitled to this assistance.
The congressional research service estimates that, from 1992 to 2002, Armenia received aid worth $1.337 billion from the US government, while Azerbaijan only received $337.7 million.
Of note, the US Congress has been providing direct humanitarian aid to Upper Garabagh since 1998. US assistance to the self-proclaimed entity amounted to $3 million in the 2006 fiscal year and $5 million each in 2007 and 2008.
This assistance, as a rule, is directed to the solution of social problems, including the construction of water pipes, medical aid and socially oriented services and facilities. Work on designating the spending of the funds is carried out by organizations that win tenders announced by the US Agency for International Development (USAID). Thus, in the initial years, these activities had been undertaken by a Catholic aid union and, further, by a foundation dealing with assistance to Armenians. In recent years, a part of those funds have been channeled into mine clearing operations in Garabagh, which is being carried out by Britain`s Halo Trust group.
For Azerbaijanis, the allocation of even a single dollar for the separatist regime from the US budget is naturally considered as support for the Armenian position on the settlement to the Garabagh conflict. It is for this reason that the lack of a provision on US humanitarian aid to Upper Garabagh in 2010 comes as such a surprise. This sentiment is strengthened by the fact that the incumbent White House team could be, essentially, regarded as more pro-Armenian in comparison with its predecessor, the Bush administration.
A valid question therefore arises: does this mean that the U.S. has decided to drastically revisit its position on the Garabagh settlement? Political analyst Hikmat Hajizada believes that two possible scenarios could be considered in this respect.
"It`s either that the Azerbaijani lobby and the government of Azerbaijan have succeeded in persuading Americans that they should not support pro-Russian Armenia, or this is nothing but a mere intention by White House politicians to create a `smoke-screen` before the eyes of the Azerbaijani government saying, `look, guys, we did want to support you, but Congress has decided its own way.`"
Washington has proposed allocating $30 million to Armenia in 2010 instead of $48 million designated for 2009, the Panarmenian news agency reported. Moreover, the US administration is seeking to allot $3m in military assistance to the country in 2010, compared to $4m planned for Azerbaijan. The U.S. plans to allot $450,000 to Armenia as part of its military training program, while the figure for Azerbaijan will be double that amount.
But the most noteworthy is the fact that the US government did not include a provision on providing humanitarian aid to Upper Garabagh in its assistance package. This follows the approval of such aid, worth $8m to the self-styled republic in the 2009 fiscal year, by a decision of the US Congress.
It is worth mentioning that the measure is merely a draft, not a final approved budget. Therefore, it is not time for Armenians to panic, nor should Azerbaijanis rejoice.
In any case, it should be admitted that the U.S. has always paid attention to Azerbaijan`s defense industry and it has recently further increased this attention. This is happening mainly for two reasons. First, key transnational energy supply routes, which represent one of the priorities for America in this vitally important region, lie through Azerbaijan. Second, the country is located on the coast of the Caspian Sea, which is flush with hydrocarbon resources.
However, analysts suggest that the US administration will face challenges in convincing Congressmen that increasing military aid to Azerbaijan is appropriate, despite Washington`s being upbeat about the idea. In fact, it is Congress, not the administration, that will have the final say, and the legislature will, most likely, focus on pertinent legal norms in dealing with the issue.
The point is that, with the suspension of Section 907 of the Freedom Support Act restricting US assistance to the Azerbaijani government, which has long been harmful to Baku`s interests, the US Congress pledged not to violate parity in the allocation of military assistance to Azerbaijan and Armenia. Therefore, it is quite likely that Congress will actually equalize the amount of funds designated by the White House for the two countries` defense spending.
As a result of the adoption of Section 907, which was considerably influenced by the Armenian lobby, Azerbaijan became the only republic of the former Soviet Union and the entire post-Communist bloc that had been deprived of the US government`s aid through legislative restrictions. This lack of balance was reinforced by the fact that nations unfriendly to the U.S., such as North Korea, for instance, were, for some reason, entitled to this assistance.
The congressional research service estimates that, from 1992 to 2002, Armenia received aid worth $1.337 billion from the US government, while Azerbaijan only received $337.7 million.
Of note, the US Congress has been providing direct humanitarian aid to Upper Garabagh since 1998. US assistance to the self-proclaimed entity amounted to $3 million in the 2006 fiscal year and $5 million each in 2007 and 2008.
This assistance, as a rule, is directed to the solution of social problems, including the construction of water pipes, medical aid and socially oriented services and facilities. Work on designating the spending of the funds is carried out by organizations that win tenders announced by the US Agency for International Development (USAID). Thus, in the initial years, these activities had been undertaken by a Catholic aid union and, further, by a foundation dealing with assistance to Armenians. In recent years, a part of those funds have been channeled into mine clearing operations in Garabagh, which is being carried out by Britain`s Halo Trust group.
For Azerbaijanis, the allocation of even a single dollar for the separatist regime from the US budget is naturally considered as support for the Armenian position on the settlement to the Garabagh conflict. It is for this reason that the lack of a provision on US humanitarian aid to Upper Garabagh in 2010 comes as such a surprise. This sentiment is strengthened by the fact that the incumbent White House team could be, essentially, regarded as more pro-Armenian in comparison with its predecessor, the Bush administration.
A valid question therefore arises: does this mean that the U.S. has decided to drastically revisit its position on the Garabagh settlement? Political analyst Hikmat Hajizada believes that two possible scenarios could be considered in this respect.
"It`s either that the Azerbaijani lobby and the government of Azerbaijan have succeeded in persuading Americans that they should not support pro-Russian Armenia, or this is nothing but a mere intention by White House politicians to create a `smoke-screen` before the eyes of the Azerbaijani government saying, `look, guys, we did want to support you, but Congress has decided its own way.`"
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