With Congressional appropriators in the early stages of crafting the Fiscal Year 2011 (FY11) foreign aid bill, Congressional Armenian Caucus Co-Chair Frank Pallone (D-NJ) was joined by 27 of his U.S. House colleagues in urging the inclusion of a series of provisions aimed at strengthening U.S. ties to Armenia and Nagorno-Karabakh and bolstering the prospects for lasting regional peace, reads the press release of Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA).

“We want to thank Representative Pallone for his leadership and to express our appreciation to each of his colleagues who joined in this effort, including, of course, Armenian Caucus Co-Chairman Mark Kirk, for helping to ensure that the foreign aid bill properly reflects America's support for Armenia and Nagorno-Karabakh. We look forward to working toward the adoption of the vital foreign aid priorities outlined in this letter,” said ANCA Executive Director Aram Hamparian.

Congressmen demanded at least $70m for Armenia and $10m — for Nagorno-Karabakh. They also underlined that balance between military assistance rendered to Armenia and Azerbaijan should be preserved.