Washington, March 31, AZERTAC

US Azeris Network Organization (USAN) presented testimonies of witnesses at the hearings for the House Committee on Appropriations: State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs under the Committee of the House of Representatives the Fiscal Year 2016 budget resolution.

In his speech, member of the Board of Directors of Azeris Network in US Badir Mammadli thanked the head of the committee Chairman Kay Granger and senior committee member Nita Lowey. Mammadli presented arguments for the criteria according to which the United States should give financial assistance to the other countries. He noted that there is a great misbalance in financial aid given to Azerbaijan and Armenia by US. Azerbaijan, which is the victim of the Armenian aggression and occupation, is receiving less than the aggressor Armenia whose population is a lot less, Mammadli said.

According to the Congressional Research Service in US, since 1992 Azerbaijan which has 5 times more population and more refugees and IDPs as a result of the ethnic cleansing by Armenian armed forces received 1 bln USD while Armenia got 2,2 bln USD.

Taking into account the fact of occupation internationally recognized territories of Azerbaijan and infringement of elementary principles of international law by Armenia, US Congress should suspend the financial aid given to Armenia. The direct military aid to Armenia allows it to use the funds not in the appointment of US tax-payers as the country is in the military alliance which is not corresponding to the national interests of US.

Co-founder of Azeris Network in US noted that Azerbaijanis in US are concerned that the humanitarian aid of USA to the victims of Armenian-Azerbaijan conflict is directed to the occupied Nagorno-Karabakh region of Azerbaijan by the Armenian forces. This, in turn, rose disturbance of Azerbaijani community in Nagorno-Karabakh, which was displaced from their lands. Mammadli noted that, unfortunately, US administration continues to present direct assistance to the occupied region of Azerbaijan which is not doing to the other separatist units like in Crimea, Abkhazia, Southern Ossetia, Transnistria and other regions.

On behalf of the organization, Mammadli called on US to stop the financial aid for the occupied territories of Azerbaijan which will confirm consistency and objectivity of American policy in supporting the principle of the territorial integrity.

Representative of Azerbaijani organization noted that US assist to the puppet regime in the occupied Nagorno-Karabakh region of Azerbaijan promotes illegal trade of narcotics, the spread of radioactive and nuclear materials and arms smuggling and other illegal activities. Arms smuggling in particular by the senior officials in Armenia contributed to the Armed Islamic militants with missiles and machine guns who killed American soldiers in Iraq. All of these facts make it necessary to suspend the financial aid to the illegal regime in the occupied Azerbaijani territories.

Armenia is one of the countries which voted against the resolution on territorial integrity of Ukraine at the session of UNSC in March 2014, which shows that Armenia’s actions do not correspond to the interests of US. During the hearings the members of Armenian organizations were also present.

US Azeris Network Organization (USAN) annually presents the testimonies for the House Committee on Appropriations: State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs under the Committee of the House of Representatives informing US legislators about Armenian aggression, violation of the international law, IDPs of Azerbaijan and non-compliance actions of Armenia with US’s national interests.

Yusif Babanly,

Special correspondent of AZERTAC

Washington