Announcement

Collapse

Forum Rules (Everyone Must Read!!!)

1] What you CAN NOT post.

You agree, through your use of this service, that you will not use this forum to post any material which is:
- abusive
- vulgar
- hateful
- harassing
- personal attacks
- obscene

You also may not:
- post images that are too large (max is 500*500px)
- post any copyrighted material unless the copyright is owned by you or cited properly.
- post in UPPER CASE, which is considered yelling
- post messages which insult the Armenians, Armenian culture, traditions, etc
- post racist or other intentionally insensitive material that insults or attacks another culture (including Turks)

The Ankap thread is excluded from the strict rules because that place is more relaxed and you can vent and engage in light insults and humor. Notice it's not a blank ticket, but just a place to vent. If you go into the Ankap thread, you enter at your own risk of being clowned on.
What you PROBABLY SHOULD NOT post...
Do not post information that you will regret putting out in public. This site comes up on Google, is cached, and all of that, so be aware of that as you post. Do not ask the staff to go through and delete things that you regret making available on the web for all to see because we will not do it. Think before you post!


2] Use descriptive subject lines & research your post. This means use the SEARCH.

This reduces the chances of double-posting and it also makes it easier for people to see what they do/don't want to read. Using the search function will identify existing threads on the topic so we do not have multiple threads on the same topic.

3] Keep the focus.

Each forum has a focus on a certain topic. Questions outside the scope of a certain forum will either be moved to the appropriate forum, closed, or simply be deleted. Please post your topic in the most appropriate forum. Users that keep doing this will be warned, then banned.

4] Behave as you would in a public location.

This forum is no different than a public place. Behave yourself and act like a decent human being (i.e. be respectful). If you're unable to do so, you're not welcome here and will be made to leave.

5] Respect the authority of moderators/admins.

Public discussions of moderator/admin actions are not allowed on the forum. It is also prohibited to protest moderator actions in titles, avatars, and signatures. If you don't like something that a moderator did, PM or email the moderator and try your best to resolve the problem or difference in private.

6] Promotion of sites or products is not permitted.

Advertisements are not allowed in this venue. No blatant advertising or solicitations of or for business is prohibited.
This includes, but not limited to, personal resumes and links to products or
services with which the poster is affiliated, whether or not a fee is charged
for the product or service. Spamming, in which a user posts the same message repeatedly, is also prohibited.

7] We retain the right to remove any posts and/or Members for any reason, without prior notice.


- PLEASE READ -

Members are welcome to read posts and though we encourage your active participation in the forum, it is not required. If you do participate by posting, however, we expect that on the whole you contribute something to the forum. This means that the bulk of your posts should not be in "fun" threads (e.g. Ankap, Keep & Kill, This or That, etc.). Further, while occasionally it is appropriate to simply voice your agreement or approval, not all of your posts should be of this variety: "LOL Member213!" "I agree."
If it is evident that a member is simply posting for the sake of posting, they will be removed.


8] These Rules & Guidelines may be amended at any time. (last update September 17, 2009)

If you believe an individual is repeatedly breaking the rules, please report to admin/moderator.
See more
See less

HOUSE & SENATE ADOPT $90 MILLION AID PACKAGE FOR ARMENIA

Collapse
X
 
  • Filter
  • Time
  • Show
Clear All
new posts

  • HOUSE & SENATE ADOPT $90 MILLION AID PACKAGE FOR ARMENIA

    Source: Anca.org

    WASHINGTON, DC - Despite an overall reduction in U.S. assistance to
    the former Soviet republics, the House voted 338 to 83 for a $397
    billion Omnibus Appropriations bill that maintains assistance to
    Armenia at $90 million for the 2003 fiscal year, reported the
    Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA.) The Senate passed
    the legislation by a margin of 76 to 20 the same evening.

    The votes followed weeks of work by House and Senate
    Foreign Operations conferees, led by Senator Mitch McConnell (R-KY)
    and Jim Kolbe (R-AZ), to reconcile differences in the two versions
    of the FY03 foreign aid bills adopted last year. The House, last
    summer, had initially approved $84.3 million for Armenia. The
    Senate approved $90 million, the same level as Armenia's actual
    fiscal year 2002 appropriation. Senator McConnell has been a long-
    time champion of U.S. assistance to Armenia. The ANC of Arizona
    met with Chairman Kolbe last October, as the fiscal year 2003
    foreign aid figures were taking shape.

    "We want to thank all of our friends on the foreign operations
    conference committee for agreeing to the Senate figure of $90
    million for Armenia in the fiscal year 2003 foreign aid bill.
    Their efforts, in the face of so many competing spending
    priorities, will help offset the impact of the Turkish and
    Azerbaijani blockades of Armenia," said Aram Hamparian, Executive
    Director of the ANCA. "In the coming days and weeks, we will
    step up our outreach to appropriators in both houses to
    reverse the sharp cut in aid to Armenia proposed by the President
    in his fiscal year 2004 budget."

    The Bush Administration's fiscal year 2004 budget, released last
    week, called for $49.5 million in assistance to Armenia, a
    significant drop from last year's Presidential request of $70
    million and the actual fiscal year 2002 appropriation of $90.2
    million. Comparatively, the Administration's request for
    Azerbaijan saw a much smaller reduction, going from a $46 million
    request in fiscal year 2003 to $41.5 million for fiscal year 2004.

    The fiscal year 2003 foreign aid bill was adopted as part of the
    Omnibus Appropriations legislation. The measure calls for $760
    million in assistance to former Soviet republics, a $24 million
    reduction from last year. While citing a $90 million "hard
    earmark" in economic assistance for Armenia, the bill does not
    include a minimum military assistance level. However, the
    Conference Report recommends that, "the full IMET [International
    Military Education and Training] and FMF [foreign military funding]
    requests for Armenia will be provided in fiscal year 2003, and
    specifies that "a portion of the FMF funds should be used to
    enhance communications capabilities."

    The Conference report also specifically encourages the "State
    Department to continue discussions with the sponsors of the
    proposed Center for the Advancement of Natural Discoveries Using
    Light Emission (CANDLE) project and relevant Armenian authorities
    on the economic viability and sustainability of the project. The
    managers recommend that continued funding for the project's study
    be made available from assistance provided for Armenia in the Act."

    In a departure from prior practice, the fiscal year 2003 foreign
    aid bill does not call for a hard earmark for the Republic of
    Georgia. The Conference report does, however, cite continued
    Congressional support for "the sovereignty and territorial
    integrity of Georgia" and notes that the "request for Georgia will
    be made available by the Administration." The report goes on to
    encourage "the Government of Georgia to take more effective
    measures to defend human rights and the rule of law by protecting
    religious minorities against mob violence."

    While not specifying assistance levels to Azerbaijan, the
    Conference report did make special note of Congressional concern
    about "the murder of John Alvis, a democracy worker with the
    International Republican Institute, in Azerbaijan. The managers
    request that within 30 days of enactment of this Act, the State
    Department provide an update on the status of the investigation.
    The managers expect the State Department and relevant Azeri
    authorities to continue to make this investigation a top priority."

    Following the House adoption of the Omnibus appropriations bill,
    House Appropriations Subcommittee senior member and Congressional
    Armenian Caucus Co-Chair Joe Knollenberg (R-MI), stated, "American
    assistance to Armenia is critical to offset the challenges imposed
    on Armenia by its neighbors. Armenia is one of our strongest
    allies in the region, and has demonstrated a strong desire to build
    a friendly and cooperative relationship with the United States.
    This aid will continue to strengthen the ties between our two
    countries."

    New Jersey Democrat Steve Rothman concurred, noting, "I was
    delighted to use my position on the House Appropriations
    Subcommittee on Foreign Operations to secure $90 million in
    economic assistance to Armenia in the Fiscal Year 2003 Omnibus
    Appropriations bill, $20 million more than requested by President
    Bush. This assistance will provide the people of Armenia the
    opportunity to continue the great successes they have achieved in
    economic development over the past few years. While I am pleased
    with the outcome for the current fiscal year, I pledge to increase
    the woefully inadequate $49 million in economic assistance that the
    Bush Administration has proposed for Armenia in Fiscal Year 2004."

    In the weeks leading up to the House-Senate conference on the
    foreign aid bill, over 20 Representatives sent a letter, initiated
    by Armenian Caucus Co-Chairman Frank Pallone (D-NJ), to Chairman
    Kolbe, encouraging support for a number of provisions in the bill
    impacting Armenia and Nagorno Karabagh. Noting that "the dual
    blockades of Armenia by Azerbaijan and Turkey continue to impede
    Armenia's economic well-being," the co-signers urged their
    colleagues to ensure that "not less than $90 million" be provided
    for Armenia. The letter also urged $3 million in Foreign Military
    Financing and $750,000 in International Military Education Training
    (IMET) for Armenia.

    Rep. Adam Schiff, a co-signer of the letter, explained that he was
    "very pleased that U.S. aid to Armenia for fiscal year 2003 will be
    $90 million. Any reduction in aid would have seriously jeopardized
    ongoing humanitarian, economic development and democracy-building
    projects currently underway in Armenia."

  • #2
    Yep, 90 million dollars to warm the seats of the fat cat politicians. Way to go corporate America.
    Achkerov kute.

    Comment


    • #3
      i get so depressed when i hear that America is giving assistance to Armenia. I mean they can at least be decent enough not to call it assistance. Fund for Armenian government members to buy a third mansion sounds more reasonable.. And to those rich armenian- americans who put thier fortunes into what? building new churches in Armenia???? And this will help the poverty how exactly???

      Comment


      • #4
        I couldn't agree with you more. How many times must money be spent carelessly and on material possessions? How many more mansions are going to be brought up? How many petty churches are going to be erected? You see, if you follow the history of Armenia, once it accepted the monotheistic religion Christianity as its state religion, it began its downward spiral. I mean all organized religions are nothing but petty man made promises designed to instill fear and obedience among the people being ruled. And to know that Armenians fought a bloody civil war over this religion just mind boggles me.

        Building a new church won't make God pity you. Stop building those damn churches and instead build some factories or give the money to the commonfolk, anything but wasteful and silly spending.
        Achkerov kute.

        Comment


        • #5
          Thank you!!!!!!!!! you are the first Armenian I've come across Anonymouse who sees that Christianity was the downward spiral of Armenians. You know, when the Pagan priests were stoned by the newly Christian Armenians. One priest, said before he died - this religion will bring dispair to Armenians and the Armenian homeland. Pretty smart guy no?

          Comment


          • #6
            And it has. Christianity is pure bunk.

            In fact, all organized religion is pure bunk anyway. It was nothing more than to control the masses. Christianity was actually imperitive to the downfall of the Roman Empire, but whatever. It was the "Communism" of its time in that it was revolutionary. The so called "Christians were martyrs" bullxxxx is simply untrue, if that were so the Roman legions wouldn't have massacred them. They were just as violent to get their ideology across to others as Muslim fanatics are now. Any ideology that is revolutionary and new in its ideas will have drastic and revolutionary people to spread.

            Even Hitler knew this. He argued in Mein Kampf that no ideology that exists today would have existed without the use of force. And that is how the ideology of National Socialism, Communism etc all came to be, through force. No ideology just comes out of no where and is accepted by people. It has to be forced and without it no ideology stands a chance.
            Achkerov kute.

            Comment


            • #7
              The Armenian government barely pays the Armenian delegates to the UN. They were here in NY several months ago trying to raise money so they can hold their seats. That is just disgusting in part of the government. And i really hate it when people call me a self-hating Armenian for critizing the government that is "trying to pull together a newly forming country". what the xxxx is wrong with them? why dont they attack the government for stealing the country's money? Its really funny when they talk about the positive changes the current government has brought about. The government has not done anything, its only common sense that a nation's economy is bound to sightly improve on its own after getting out of the situation of the early to mid 1990's.

              Comment


              • #8
                Alot of the former Soviet republics are rebounding from the financial slump they took after the breakup of the Union, yet Armenia remains one of the few that is lagging and this is due to the fact that the people who rule that country don't care for it.

                And it infuriates me even more when bumbling Armenians squabble over
                'tashnags' or whatever other xxxxing faction exists and claim to have the answers to everything. The bottom line is this, Armenians have always had a lack of unison. Freedom hasn't been their thing. Armenians have functioned better under the threat of the sword or the gun or being ruled by an empire than they have under freedom and this is a simple historical fact. Armenia has its freedom now, yet is it really free? As soon as it got its freedom everyone started to carve out the land as booty. It's just the way it is.
                Achkerov kute.

                Comment


                • #9
                  I think the current government will be in power for a while because of the fact that they claim the population of Armenia is 3.6 million. First of all, since the population is probably 1 million lesser, there are lesser people to distribute money to, meaning each family receives more than they would if there were 3.6 million people living in the country. For someone looking from the outside, it seems like Armenia is not doing so bad since personal income is made to look higher, (yet why dont they question why 55% is below the poverty line?)
                  The second thing is that many people counted in the population dont actually live in the country. So when election time comes around, the party in control has a whole lot of free votes for themselves. I dont know how accurate all this really is but it does make sense, Anyway we will see what happens in the upcoming election.

                  Comment


                  • #10
                    Democracy is always a joke as it is victim to the most basic human trait...the same reason the idealistic nonsense of Communism can't work.

                    In this world, all governments aside, there is either despotism, whether covert or overt, or anarchy.
                    Achkerov kute.

                    Comment

                    Working...
                    X