SECRETARY CLINTON REAFFIRMS US ASSISTANCE FOCUS ON JAVAKHK
Armenian Weekly
April 4, 2012
WASHINGTON-In response to a direct written question from Representative
Brad Sherman (D-Calif.), Secretary of State Hillary Clinton officially
reaffirmed the Obama Administration’s focus of “significant assistance
resources toward programs that benefit the Samstke-Javakheti region of
Georgia,” reported the Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA).
Rep. Brad Sherman The Secretary’s written statement came in response to
a formal “Questions for the Record” submitted by Representative Sherman
during her Feb. 29, 2012 appearance before the House Committee on
Foreign Affairs. In her answer, Secretary Clinton noted that the U.S.
government, through the Millennium Challenge Corporation, had
“rehabilitated approximately 222 kilometers of a main road linking
Tbilisi with Samtskhe-Javakheti to foster economic development in
the region through increasing exports of agricultural products.” She
also listed priority areas for continued U.S. assistance, including
cattle farming, trout farming, potato production, dairy processing,
feed production and beekeeping, as well as support for private sector
development via the promotion of small- and medium-sized enterprises
in the tourism sector.
“We appreciate Congressman Sherman’s principled leadership in
supporting the economic welfare of Javakhk and welcome the Secretary’s
reassurance that the Obama Administration places a priority on aid
programs to this historically Armenian-populated region,” said Aram
Hamparian, Executive Director of the ANCA. “We will continue to work
with Congress and the Administration to support the targeting of 10%
of U.S. assistance to Georgia to the Javakhk.”
During a March 23rd House Foreign Affairs Committee hearing, Rep.
Sherman questioned US Agency for International Development (USAID)
Administrator Rajiv Shah about the need for targeted U.S. assistance
to the population in Javakhk. USAID Director Shah noted that “On
Georgia, and specifically the Samtskhe-Javakheti region, that you were
referring to, we have been working with specific programs that deal
with agricultural modernization, social development, maternal health
and certain health and infrastructure efforts as well as support for
civil society groups. We have increasingly tried to do that work in
consultation with Armenian American communities and with an eye toward
launching specific public-private partnerships with those communities.”
Economic Development of Javakhk an ANCA Priority
The ANCA places a high priority on the economic development of
Javakhk, as reflected in the testimony submitted by Government Affairs
Director Kate Nahapetian for the March 30, 2012 hearing of the House
Appropriations Subcommittee on State, Foreign Operations, and Related
Programs. In remarks to the panel, Nahapetian called for 10% of U.S.
assistance to Georgia to be targeted to the Samtskhe-Javakheti region:
“Over the past decade, USAID and the Millennium Challenge Corporation
have expanded their presence in Samtskhe-Javakheti (SJ), a historically
Armenian populated region in the Republic of Georgia, in an effort
to address core humanitarian and economic difficulties that face the
population. However, with unemployment and under-employment in the
region over 20% according to official sources, and over 40% based
upon our on-the-ground assessment of the living conditions of the
population, much more needs to be done to bring about a measurable
reduction in poverty and to create a strong foundation for economic
development in the region.”
“Over the past several months, Armenian Americans have reached out
to USAID to identify ways to leverage existing U.S. aid programs in
the region and explore public-private partnership opportunities in
an effort to incentivize private investment and minimize political
and economic risk for investors in the Samtskhe-Javakheti region.”
“These efforts have been welcomed by the Georgian Ambassador to the
U.S., His Excellency Temuri Yakobashvili, who has stated that “The
Embassy of Georgia, in support of our government’s material commitment
to economic development for our citizens in the Samtskhe-Javakheti
region and throughout all of our Republic, looks forward to working
with our friends in the U.S. Congress and the Administration and with
all American civil society stakeholders-including, of course, with
the Armenian American community-in encouraging the targeting of U.S.
assistance to meet Samtskhe-Javakheti’s urgent job-creation,
infrastructure, technical, and humanitarian needs.”
“In anticipation of future expanded cooperation, the ANCA urges that
at least 10% of a robust U.S. assistance package to the Republic of
Georgia be targeted to the Samtskhe-Javakheti region to support much
needed job-creation and poverty reduction programs in the area.”
In Sept. 2011, ANCA Chairman Ken Hachikian and Communications Director
Elizabeth Chouldjian travelled to Javakhk and Tbilisi, Georgia, and
held a series of meetings with local non-government organization
leaders as well as high-level meetings with Georgian government
officials, to identify ways to address the concerns of the Armenian
population in the Javakhk.
That dialogue continued in Washington, DC, in January of this year,
when Hachikian met with Georgian Ambassador to the U.S. Temuri
Yakobashvili to explore ways to expand the Georgian-Armenian
partnership to include broader direct Georgian and Armenian
investments and also increased U.S. assistance to promote
job-creation in the region. Following the meeting, Ambassador
Yakobashvili had noted that “The Embassy of Georgia-in support of
our government’s material commitment to economic development for
our citizens in the Samtskhe-Javakheti region and throughout all
of our Republic-looks forward to working with our friends in the
U.S. Congress and the Administration and with all American civil
society stakeholders-including, of course, with the Armenian American
community-in encouraging the targeting of U.S. assistance to meet
Samtskhe-Javakheti’s urgent job-creation, infrastructure, technical,
and humanitarian needs.”
The ANCA has worked closely with Rep. Sherman, Rep. Adam Schiff
(D-Calif.), Rep. Howard Berman (D-Calif.), and other House members as
well as USAID representatives to raise awareness about the challenges
facing the population of Javakhk and identify avenues for the U.S.
government to partner with the Armenian Diaspora.
Last month, Rep. Sherman was among over 30 House members who cosigned
a Congressional letter spearheaded by Congressional Armenian Caucus
Co-Chair Frank Pallone (D-N.J.) and addressed to House Appropriations
Subcommittee on Foreign Operations Chairwoman Kay Granger (R-Texas)
and Ranking Democrat Nita Lowey (D-N.Y.) urging 10 percent of U.S.
assistance to Georgia in FY2013 to be targeted toward job creation
efforts in Javakhk.
The full text of the Sherman-Clinton exchange on Javakhk is provided
below.
(Congressman Brad Sherman): I request that our aid programs in Georgia,
while supporting development throughout the entire country, focus on
the relatively impoverished and under-developed Javakh region in the
south of Georgia. We should provide a robust U.S. aid package for
Georgia that includes targeted assistance to the Javakh region.
Do you support U.S. aid to the Javakh region of Georgia?
Answer (Secretary Hillary Clinton): The United States has, and
continues to focus significant assistance resources toward programs
that benefit the Samstke-Javakheti region of Georgia. By far, the
largest U.S. Government investment has been the over $200 million
Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) effort that rehabilitated
approximately 222 kilometers of a main road linking Tbilisi with
Samtskhe-Javakheti to foster economic development in the region
through increasing exports of agricultural products.
Other efforts in the bilateral budget are leveraging the MCC
investment, including agriculture development efforts, which have
supported various activities including cattle farming, trout farming,
potato production, dairy processing, feed production and beekeeping.
We are supporting private sector development by promoting development
of small- and medium-sized enterprises in the tourism sector,
increasing the access to long-term finance, and broadening business
training opportunities.
Our programs also target social sector and democratic development.
U.S. assistance rehabilitated three public hospitals in the region,
and a new primary education project includes teaching Georgian language
in schools in Samtskhe-Javakheti to improve the children’s ability
to participate in the Georgian economy and political life.
U.S. democracy programs are focused on empowering people and
organizations to debate and resolve issues and increasing active
citizen participation in the electoral process, both of which are
integral to building a cohesive multi-ethnic nation.
From: Baghdasarian