(MENAFN- AzerNews)
Akbar Novruz
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USAID has once again aligned its financial
assistance with its strategic interests, recently deciding to more
than double its aid to Armenia from $120 million to $250 million.
This increase follows April's announcement of $23.1 million in new
programs for Armenia, focusing on Democratic processes, regional
cooperation, disaster risk management, cybersecurity, food
security, and energy security.
For years, NED and USAID have provided a large amount of
financial assistance to Georgia's Political reins. However, the
West, seeing the harsh face of domestic political circles, seems to
have changed its direction. Given that Georgia will hold
parliamentary elections next month, anticipations of provocations
in Georgia during the elections now pose a formidable question. If
the US wants real peace in the region, why are they still
continuing this process? Can we say that it is more about influence
than aid?
Peter Tase, an independent American political analyst and expert
on the South Caucasus, offers a critical perspective on this
development. He told Azernews , that with the USD
250 million allocated by USAID to Yerevan's Government, Washington
is encouraging Armenia to become a pariah state.
"For too long, The Biden-Harris Administration has ignored the
close cooperation between Armenia and Iran. USAID's involvement
with Armenia, and the ongoing increase of US financial aid towards
Nikol Pashinyan's courtyard, will further deteriorate the
democratic standards in Armenia and seriously damage the opposition
political parties in the country.”
Tase also highlights historical concerns, noting that“most of
the USD 23 million allocated for Yerevan will reach the pockets of
corrupt Armenian bureaucrats. History is infallible when it comes
to USAID's unpleasant legacy of providing financial assistance to
Global South Countries and developing countries in Eurasia; many
serious mistakes and money wasted have taken place.” He references
the 2017 crisis involving a $9.5 billion USAID project led by
Chemonics International, which was marred by corruption and
fraud.
Moreover, Tase critiques the U.S. government's selective
support, pointing out that while financial assistance has been
generously provided to Armenian communities leaving Garabagh,
similar support has not been extended to victims of the Armenian
conflict within Azerbaijan. He remarks,“The U.S. Government has
not maintained the same posture, nor provided any relevant
assistance when it comes to helping Azerbaijan's kids, violated
women, and family members of maimed civilians that have suffered
from Armenian war machine for over thirty years, inside the
sovereign territory of Azerbaijan.”
As Europe and the Americas face a chaotic present, Tase suggests
that“the U.S. Government has pursued a bitter opaqueness when it
comes to maintaining candid bilateral relations with the Caucasus
nations and beyond.” He emphasizes the need for the U.S. Congress
to ensure that taxpayer dollars are used responsibly and calls for
greater scrutiny of U.S. foreign policy principles.
Turning to Georgia, Tase warns,“Georgia and its troubled path
to economic development and genuine ambitions to embrace democratic
institutions are in a deeply convoluted terrain and geopolitically
complex. The upcoming parliamentary elections in Georgia could
produce one of the greatest shifts in global geo-strategic power
that Europe has ever witnessed. Georgia's proximity to the Russian
Federation makes the country highly vulnerable and Moscow could
potentially exploit the results of parliamentary elections in
Tbilisi in order to weaken the American leadership in Europe and
beyond. Georgia's sovereignty is under imminent serious threat and
its democracy has never been close to extinction as it is
presently.”
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