ANCA Supports Congressional Armenian Caucus $40 Million Request to Position Armenia as Regional Safe Haven for Refugees
WASHINGTON, DC – The Congressional Armenian Caucus has called on key U.S. House appropriators to prioritize Fiscal Year 2018 (FY18) foreign aid policies “strengthening Armenia’s independence, promoting peace in Nagorno Karabakh, and supporting Armenia as a regional safe haven for at-risk Middle East refugees.”
In a bipartisan letter, addressed to Chairman Hal Rogers (R-KY) and Nita Lowey, the Chairman and Ranking Democrat, respectively, of the House Appropriations Subcommittee on State-Foreign Operations, more than two dozen U.S. Representative underscored the importance of “the U.S.-Armenia partnership, a relationship founded upon a shared commitment to faith, freedom, and democratic values.” They stressed that “U.S. assistance has empowered progress in the areas of democracy, rule of law, freedom of expression, and free enterprise.”
“Armenia – a genocide survivor state, landlocked and illegally blockaded by Turkey and Azerbaijan – has stepped forward, despite its own economic hardships, as a regional safe haven for Middle East refugees,” said ANCA Executive Director Aram Hamparian.
“We thank our friends in the leadership of the Armenian Caucus for seeking at least $40 million in FY18 funding to help transition thousands of at-risk families to a secure, stable life in Armenia. More broadly, we would like to express our appreciation to all the signatories for supporting increased aid to Artsakh and each of the other foreign aid priorities in their letter to Chairman Rogers and Ranking Democrat Lowey.”
