US Embassy: Sustainable level of aid financing for Armenia will be  kept as it is

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.