US expends $25 million less in aid to Nagorno Karabakh

The Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA) has released a statement reading that the US administration expended $25 million less in aid to Nagorno Karabakh than the Congress intended and approved since 1998. In line with the ANCA statement, less than $36 million out of $61 million slated by Congress for this purpose has actually been expended.

"Armenian Americans are deeply appreciative to the US Congress for its vision and generosity in initiating US aid to Nagorno Karabakh, and for providing funding to help the people of Nagorno Karabakh emerge from the crisis created by Azerbaijan's aggression, meet pressing humanitarian needs, and, develop as a free society," said Ken Hachikian, Chairman of the ANCA. He also said: “"It is precisely because of our respect for the role of Congress and the vital aims that are served by this aid that we are so troubled by the failure of successive administrations to honor the clear intent of Congress that this vital assistance program be properly funded and fully implemented.”

Ken Hachikian also said in the statement that the US Department of State, which in late 1990-s failed to get in the way of Congress to support Nagorno Karabakh, still seeks to block the aid for this purpose and the clearly expressed wills of the American lawmakers. He said that it spends far less on this important purpose than the Congress intended.

The Armenian National Committee of America is the largest and most influential Armenian American political organization. Working in coordination with a network of offices and commissions across the US and around the world, the ANCA actively advances the concerns of the Armenian American community on a broad range of issues including the issue of recognition of the 1915 Genocide, committed by Turks against civil Armenian population.

The Karabakh conflict broke out in 1991, when Armenian population of Nagorno Karabakh -- the historical Armenia, remapped during Soviet-era times in interest of Azerbaijan, -- demanded on self-determination. In response to this rightful claim, the authorities of Azerbaijan tried to take control of the situation by launching deadly massacres and ethnic cleanings against civil Armenians and by launching a large-scale military operations, which left thousands dead and caused considerable material damage.

A cease-fire agreement was established in 1994.

Currently, the OSCE Minsk Group is mediating the settlement to the Karabakh conflict and has delivered the Madrid document of November of 2007 containing proposals to solve the issue.

Azerbaijan hasn’t yet implemented 4 resolutions of the UN Security Council adopted in 1993, and continues provoking arms race in the region which is a violation of the basic principles of the international law on non-use of force and threats of military meanings.