Congresswoman Jackie Speier’s proposal to increase American aid to Armenia by $40 million—and which has been adopted by a considerable majority of votes—as well as the submitted Armenian-American strategic partnership proposal by Congressman Frank Pallone should be viewed jointly, as a shared development program for Armenia. Bryan Ardouny, Executive Director of the Armenian Assembly of America, noted about this to the Voice of America Armenian Service.

As per Ardouny, Armenian Foreign Minister Zohrab Mnatsakanyan’s meeting with US Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs David Hale—and during which the prospects for the development of bilateral relations were discussed—is also within the same logic.

Aram Hamparian, Executive Director of the Armenian National Committee of America, for his part, is convinced that Congress members Speier’s and Pallone’s aforesaid proposals, as well as Congressman TJ Cox’ proposal to allocate funds from the US budget for demining operations in Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh)—and which was adopted at the House of Representatives—are of paramount political importance. As per Hamparian, the major support to Speier’s initiative and the growing number of supporters of Pallone’s initiative show that there is broad consensus in Washington, and the Armenian-American partnership is becoming strategic.

In Hamparian’s view, the formerly equal approach toward Armenia and Azerbaijan has changed in the US over the past years, as today, everyone in Washington agrees that there is a growing abyss between Armenia and Azerbaijan in terms of democracy, peace and partnership, and that Armenia is a much better partner for the US and a more democratic country.

These representatives of the Armenian community in the US are convinced that the changes that have taken place in Armenia over the last year open up broad prospects for Armenian-American cooperation.