The United States has reiterated its commitment to assist Armenia in bolstering its democracy and achieving economic prosperity through regional integration. In a meeting with Armenian and European Union (EU) leaders, U.S. Department of State (DOS) Secretary Antony Blinken announced that the U.S. would allocate $65 million towards this initiative.
Blinken stated, "We are here to reaffirm transatlantic support for a democratic, prosperous future for the Armenian people – and a more integrated and a more peaceful South Caucasus region. We share the Armenian peoples’ vision for the future. We want Armenia to take its place as a strong, independent nation at peace with its neighbors, connected to the region and the world. The United States and the European Union both want to be partners in this effort, and I think today is evidence of that."
According to a DOS news release, Blinken recently met with European Commission President Ursula Von Der Leyen, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, and High Representative of the EU for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Josep Borrell. The meeting was chaired by Von Der Leyen who noted that it followed commitments made last year to support Armenian interests.
Von Der Leyen said, "This vision will be underpinned on the European Union side by a resilience and growth plan for Armenia – 270 million euros in grants over the next four years. We will invest in making the Armenian economy and society more robust and resistant to shocks. We will support your businesses, your talents, in particular your small and medium enterprises so that we can help them grow, innovate, and access new markets."
Blinken added, "We have to harness this moment of choice for the Armenian people and for its leaders. The United States is investing in efforts that are aligned with the prime minister’s governance and economic reforms. We plan to provide over $65 million in assistance from our fiscal year 2023 budget funds. That’s up more than 50 percent from two years ago. We’re committed to further growing our support for Armenia’s democratic and economic resilience, with investments for food security, digital infrastructure, diversification of energy, diversification of trade partners and other priorities that the prime minister has set."
