Wednesday, November 25 2015 07:50

 Coordinator of US Assistance to Europe and Eurasia of the US Department of State Alina Romanowski told reporters in Baku "the US does not recognize the independence of Nagorno-Karabakh. The status of Nagorno- Karabakh is the subject of international negotiations and the OSCE Minsk Group," the Azeri media report the official as saying.  
She said the US Department of State provides assistance to Nagorno-Karabakh  solely for the purpose of de-mining the territory, and the assistance will be continued until these lands are completely cleared of mines, she added.  In this regard, the United States is  negotiating with independent companies and not with the de facto authorities of Nagorno-Karabakh, Romanowski said. 

The U.S. Senate Appropriations Committee, in a departure from a recent trend away from setting country-specific aid levels, made specific recommendation of $20.06 million in economic aid to Armenia, $1.7 million in foreign military financing and $600,000 for International Military Education and Training (IMET). Azerbaijan and Georgia were allocated $8.778 million and $54 million in economic assistance, respectively. As in previous years, Senate Appropriators called for parity in military assistance to Armenia and Azerbaijan.

The report accompanying the Fiscal Year 2016 (FY16) State-Foreign Operations appropriations bill states that: "The Committee recommends assistance for victims of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict in amounts consistent with prior years, and for ongoing needs related to the conflict. The Committee urges a peaceful resolution of the conflict." The legislators also approved report language stressing the importance of continuing and expanding demining efforts in the interior (non-border) regions of Artsakh, including in farmlands and residential areas previously considered off-limits. "The Committee recognizes that Nagorno-Karabakh has a per capita landmine accident rate among the highest in the world, and that mine clearance programs have been effective where implemented. The Committee is concerned with territorial restrictions placed on demining activities in the region and recommends continued funding for, and the geographic expansion of, such programs."