Tahir Tagizade, the head of the Press and information Department of the Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry, informed Trend that the amount indicated in the last report by the Research Center of the U.S. Congress with respect to the U.S Department of State financial assistance to Azerbaijan, Armenia and Georgia, is not objective.
The figure inquired in assistance for countries differ because every time the Adminstration inquires little amount for Armenia, while the pro-Armenian Congressmen increase this assistance, Tagizade said. They openly say that this assistance is one of the sources of existence for Armenia. The figure for 2007 for Azerbaijan and Armenia are close enough in absolute expression. There is no guarantee that the pro-Armenian-spirited leadership of relevant committees won't increase the amount this time, head of the Department said.
In accordance with the last report by the Research Center of the U.S. Congress, inquiry from the Department of State for Armenia comprises $58.14mln, for Azerbaijan - $40.12mln and for Georgia - $75.84mln. In 2006 the assistance for Armenia was $81.7mln, for Azerbaijan - $47.94mln and for Georgia - $86.01mln. The figure linked with Armenia and Georgia also includes assistance within the framework of different Foundations, including Millennium Challenges program.
Tagizade noted that it is necessary to take into consideration the fact that the figures do not include assistance by the Defense Ministry, which envisages financing of foreign armed forces and international military education and training. These are programs that caused disagreements in Armenia, which further demanded parity in the delivery of military assistance.
The amount of governmental assistance to Azerbaijan until 1998, when 5 exclusions were confirmed to Section 907 of the Freedom Support Act, were rather low than assistance rendered to Armenia and Georgia not only from the per capita calculations, but also from the absolute figure stand point. After the waiver of Section 907, the amount was equalized a bit.
The head of the Department noted that financial assistance in terms of aid is not so principle. We are not keen on receiving financial assistance, but develop the national economy. As political accents, which comprise the financial assistance, it is linked with the pro-Armenian congressmen activities and is inevitable. In difference to Azerbaijan, their major argument stipulates that that Armenia is a country which depends on assistance either Diaspora or U.S. Government, Tagizade said.
