WASHINGTON, DC.- Armenian American foreign aid priorities will be among a broad range of U.S. assistance issues addressed this week by members of the the House Appropriations Subcommittee on State-Foreign Operations, as they start drafting their Fiscal Year 2016 bill, reported the Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA).

The Subcommittee will consider foreign aid bill on Wednesday.

As in the past, the specific text of the measure will not be made available until after the Subcommittee's consideration. The ANCA will be sharing details on issues of concern to Armenian Americans as they become available.

ANCA is urging friends of Armenia across America to reach out to their legislators and support the aid priorities, namely at least $5 million in U.S. developmental aid to Nagorno-Karabakh, at least $40 million in U.S. economic assistance to Armenia, zero-out U.S. military aid to Azerbaijan until it agrees with OSCE Minsk Group calls to pull back its snipers, ceases its aggression, renounces violence, and commits to a purely peaceful resolution of regional conflicts.

In addition ANCA urges to ask for a special focus on addressing the difficulties in providing humanitarian and resettlement aid to Armenian, Assyrian and other at-risk minorities in Syria, as well as targeted aid to help Armenia settle thousands fleeing from Syria, at least 10% of U.S. assistance to Georgia to be used for job creation programs in the Samtskhe-Javakheti region of that country and language strengthening Section 907 restrictions on U.S. aid to Azerbaijan.

In February, the Obama-Biden Administration released its FY2016 budget which calls for yet another reduction in U.S. economic assistance to both Armenia and Azerbaijan, while maintaining parity in appropriated military aid to these two countries.