Tuesday, June 9 2020 13:59

ArmInfo. Expanding U.S.  assistance for Artsakh (Nagorno Karabakh) demining and re-purposing  $25 million in already appropriated U.S. aid to bolster Armenia's  battle against the COVID-19 pandemic were among the top issues raised  in the Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA) testimony  presented to the U.S.  Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Foreign  Operations, as this influential panel drafts its version of the  Fiscal Year 2021 foreign aid bill.

As ANCA press service informs, in testimony submitted earlier today,  ANCA Government Affairs Director Tereza Yerimyan underscored the  important role the U.S.  can play in stemming the effects of the  COVID-19 pandemic in Armenia.

"We are asking Members of this Subcommittee to encourage the  Administration to reprogram at least $25 million of the current  FY2020 Armenia aid package to help the Armenian government flatten  the curve, care for the afflicted, and address the long-term economic  impact of this crisis. Since we made this request of the State  Department, on April 3rd of this year, Armenia has gone from 640  confirmed cases to more than 12,000 confirmed cases - with an  alarming incidence rate of approximately 400 per 100,000 people in  Armenia, according to the Johns Hopkins University's Coronavirus  Resource Center," stated Yerimyan.

Regarding efforts to continue U.S. funding for The HALO Trust's  life-saving demining in Artsakh, Yerimyan noted "While the exact  percentage of territory requiring clearance remains uncertain, The  HALO Trust's village-by-village resurvey has already identified 1.8  million square meters of additional contamination in the highly  populated Martakert region, a figure that will certainly increase as  the resurvey continues. All told, 385 people have been killed or  injured by landmines or other explosives in Nagorno Karabakh since  1995, including several HALO trust employees in just the past few  years." Yerimyan reminded Subcommittee members of the broad-based,  bipartisan support Artsakh demining has received so far, noting, "As  you may recall, in August of last year, in response to indications  that the Administration was set to cut Nagorno Karabakh funding, 22  Senators and 89 Representatives co-signed bipartisan letters  defending the USAID-funded HALO Trust demining program. Copies of  these letters were sent to this Subcommittee. In April of this year,  31 U.S.

Senators and 75 Representatives signed a letter supporting  this continued aid - with many more urging this committee to take  action through their personal office requests." The ANCA testimony  also included a request for $90 million in U.S. aid to Armenia and  expressed concern regarding the disparity between U.S. military  assistance to Azerbaijan and Artsakh.

"We remain troubled that the Administration's $100 million security  package to Baku adds equipment, tactical abilities, and offensive  capabilities to the Azerbaijani arsenal, while freeing up its own  state resources for renewed cross-border action against Artsakh and  Armenia," explained Yerimyan. "The Administration should either cease  sending military aid to Baku or - in keeping with the principle of  parity - start matching every dollar they send to Azerbaijan with  another to Armenia." The ANCA testimony also called for funding for  the Royce-Engel Artsakh peace proposal, which calls the removal of  snipers, placement of additional Organization for Security and  Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) observers along the line of contact, and  the deployment of gunfire locator systems to monitor who ceasefire  violations.  Armenia and Artsakh have agreed to the Royce-Engel  proposals; Azerbaijan has not.  Both the House and Senate are set to  consider their versions of the FY2021 foreign aid bill in July.  The  ANCA continues its grassroots campaign in support of pro-Artsakh and  Armenia aid priorities through its March to Justice advocacy  platform.