US Congress blocks pro-Armenian bill
US Congress has rejected an initiative on reducing military aid to
Azerbaijan proposed by co-chair of the US congressional group on
assistance to Armenia Joseph Knollenberg.
The pro-Armenian lawmaker had forwarded the package to the House of Representatives subcommittee in charge of allocating funds under foreign programs. His bill was rejected by the majority of votes during discussions on the 2009 state budget.
Knollenberg claimed that a reduction of aid to Azerbaijan was necessitated by the country`s military potential that is growing by the year and its alleged threats against Armenia and the separatist regime of Upper (Nagorno) Garabagh. He maintained that Azerbaijan`s "armament machine" should be stopped to ensure security of Armenia and the region as a whole.
"Therefore, our assistance to Baku is out of the question. I will fight the allocation of this amount from the budget. The United States should not support Azerbaijan`s calls to war," he said in a statement that was not supported by most of other Congress members.
The Subcommittee on State, Foreign Operations and Related Programs thus passed a document endorsing military aid worth $52 million to Azerbaijan and Armenia each, and $8 million as humanitarian aid for Upper Garabagh.
The rejection of the anti-Azerbaijan bill has infuriated the Armenian community in the U.S. The Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA) issued a critical statement on the outcomes of the vote.
"We are disappointed with the position taken by Congresswoman Nita Lowey [Chair of the Subcommittee] and overall, by the House members," the organization`s executive director Aram Ambarian said.
"Although these lawmakers are friends of the Armenian community of America, they came out against the amendments to the draft law. We did not expect this," he said.
ANCA thanked Knollenberg for drafting the bill, claiming it served to protect peace and stability in the South Caucasus region. The Armenian community also highly assessed the backing of the initiative by Congressmen Adam Schiff and Mark Kirk.
The pro-Armenian lawmaker had forwarded the package to the House of Representatives subcommittee in charge of allocating funds under foreign programs. His bill was rejected by the majority of votes during discussions on the 2009 state budget.
Knollenberg claimed that a reduction of aid to Azerbaijan was necessitated by the country`s military potential that is growing by the year and its alleged threats against Armenia and the separatist regime of Upper (Nagorno) Garabagh. He maintained that Azerbaijan`s "armament machine" should be stopped to ensure security of Armenia and the region as a whole.
"Therefore, our assistance to Baku is out of the question. I will fight the allocation of this amount from the budget. The United States should not support Azerbaijan`s calls to war," he said in a statement that was not supported by most of other Congress members.
The Subcommittee on State, Foreign Operations and Related Programs thus passed a document endorsing military aid worth $52 million to Azerbaijan and Armenia each, and $8 million as humanitarian aid for Upper Garabagh.
The rejection of the anti-Azerbaijan bill has infuriated the Armenian community in the U.S. The Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA) issued a critical statement on the outcomes of the vote.
"We are disappointed with the position taken by Congresswoman Nita Lowey [Chair of the Subcommittee] and overall, by the House members," the organization`s executive director Aram Ambarian said.
"Although these lawmakers are friends of the Armenian community of America, they came out against the amendments to the draft law. We did not expect this," he said.
ANCA thanked Knollenberg for drafting the bill, claiming it served to protect peace and stability in the South Caucasus region. The Armenian community also highly assessed the backing of the initiative by Congressmen Adam Schiff and Mark Kirk.
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