Richard Mills: A small increase in US financial assistance to Armenia  in 2018 shows the role that the White House pays to cooperation with  Yerevan

ArmInfo.Some increase in US financial assistance to Armenia in the coming year indicates the role that the White House gives to cooperation with Yerevan. On October  12, US Ambassador to Armenia Richard Mills stated in Yerevan on the  fields celebrating the 25th anniversary of USAID activities in  Armenia.

He recalled that the decision to provide assistance each year is  taken separately and the amount differs from each other. "I would  like to note with pleasure that the amount of assistance that the  United States will provide to Armenia and USAID will be increased  next year, but I want to note that the United States has never  pursued the goal of maintaining the Organization permanently in  Armenia. Our goal is to help in the formation of such mechanisms ,  which would allow Armenia to independently struggle with the existing  problems and challenges in the future. Naturally, the needs of  Armenia 25 years ago and today radically differ, and from year to  year its needs are reduced, therefore, US funding and reduced over  time, but today we have the support of the US Congress and the White  House on the issue of implementation of projects in Armenia, as  evidenced by the increase in funding for the next year", said the US  diplomat.

At the same time, summing up the results of the Organization's  25-year activity in Armenia, the ambassador noted that the allocated  funds were spent effectively and the assistance was directed to the  implementation of priorities important for the Armenian people. At  the same time, Mills noted that he is proud of the fact that the main  USAID projects are implemented by local organizations. "This is due  to the fact that over the past 25 years, civil society and structures  have been formed in Armenia that can meet the needs of the people and  they have the capacity to implement the Organization's programs."  Armenia is among the leaders on this issue, but at the same time that  she can be proud of this achievement, Armenia should work with local  organizations to identify problems and transfer information about  this to us so that the allocated funds are directed to specific  tasks, "the ambassador said, and in this context added that the US is  listening to rlamentariev, government representatives, governors,  community leaders and citizens of Armenia should use these channels  for transmission of the issues and problems that are important for  channeling funds is in the bed. It should be noted that the  Appropriations Committee of the US Senate recommended increasing aid  to Armenia in the 2018 financial year to $ 20.7 million.  Appropriations Committee The US Senate in 2017 provided Armenia with  financial assistance of $ 24.1 million and Azerbaijan - $ 10.9  million. The Senate also recommended giving $ 1 million as military  assistance and another $ 600,000 for military training. In general,  the allocated assistance to Armenia was $ 3 million more than the US  President Barack Obama asked from the budget. The sum of assistance  to Artsakh, provided since 1998, remained unchanged. Recall that the  Committee on Appropriations of the US Senate in the financial year  2016 provided Armenia with financial assistance of $ 20.06 million,  as well as $ 1.7 million in military aid and $ 600,000 for military  training. For Azerbaijan and Georgia, US lawmakers proposed to  provide $ 8.778 million as a financial aid and $ 54 million,  respectively.