ANCA Calls for Robust US Funding for Artsakh

• 06.10.2020, 15:24
•  Diaspora

ANCA calls for robust US funding for Artsakh de-mining, COVID-19 aid for Armenia Expanding US assistance for Artsakh de-mining and re-purposing $25 million in already appropriated US aid to bolster Armenia’s battle against the COVID-19 pandemic were among the top issues raised in the Armenian National Committee of America testimony presented to the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Foreign Operations, Asbarez reports.  

The move is said to have influential panel drafts its version of the Fiscal Year 2021 foreign aid bill.

In testimony submitted earlier Monday, 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.