ArmInfo.The United States of America will continue to provide financial assistance to Armenia. This is stated in the statement of the US embassy in Armenia, received by the agency ArmInfo. According to the source, the mass media of the republic The exclusion of US foreign aid from Armenia is erroneous and based on misunderstanding of the budget process in the United States.
"Signed recently by US President Donald Trump, the budget the agreement includes financing of foreign aid programs, including Armenia, "the embassy said in a statement. It also emphasizes that, given the substantial separation of the constitutional powers of the branches of power in the United States, executive and legislative structures should play a significant role in determining the annual budget and expenditure priorities. The US Congress authorizes a general budget and allocates money to various executive bodies, such as the State Department and USAID. At the same time, Congress provides these agencies with partial independence regarding how to use these funds to achieve comprehensive goals. Thanks to this process, the amount of funding approved by Congress is divided between countries and programs, the total amount of which does not exceed the amount previously approved by lawmakers. In some cases, Congress uses its authority to establish specific expenditure requirements, which are called "target".
As in past years, Congress used this power to allocate aid funds to specific countries (Ukraine and Georgia). The remaining $ 58 million is spent on financing aid for use in Europe and Eurasia. These funds will be distributed among several countries without targets, including Armenia. This budgetary process has not changed since previous years. The Congress does not envisage special financing for Armenia, and this practice has been going on for several years. However, the lack of a targeted funding direction does not mean that Armenia will not receive any foreign aid. The decision on how to split financing for Europe and Eurasia, including the amount of external assistance to Armenia for specific programs is currently being discussed in the State Department and USAID.
According to the statement, for 25 years the United States remained a partner and friend of Armenia, considering common values. US spending on foreign aid in Armenia has been growing in recent years, and in 2017 funding has reached almost $ 23 million. After Armenia's independence, only USAID has funded various programs worth $ 1.1 billion, currently managing a portfolio that is estimated at $ 70 million from coverage of 28 different projects. "Considering that the bill signed by President Trump earlier this month supports the cost of foreign aid at a level similar to last year, a stable level of funding for Armenia will continue," the US Embassy in Armenia said in a statement.