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Increasing Artsakh (Nagorno Karabakh) aid and blocking U.S. assistance to Azerbaijan are key components of the Armenian National Committee of America’s (ANCA) testimony, submitted to the U.S. House panel drafting the Fiscal Year 2022 foreign aid bill.

The request for Artsakh aid was part of a broader $350 million targeted assistance package to both Armenia and Artsakh, recovering from the aftermath of the Fall, 2020, attacks by Azerbaijan and Turkey, which left over 5,000 Armenians dead and displaced over 100,000 civilians, ANCA reported on Wednesday.

ANCA Government Affairs Director Tereza Yerimyan shared with appropriators the increased need for aid to Artsakh and provided thorough background information regarding the recent attacks. In the testimony, she stated, “Artsakh and Armenia are in need of strong bilateral relations with the U.S. and a robust aid program to rehabilitate and recover from the devastating impact of the attack by Azerbaijan and Turkey and the COVID-19 pandemic.” Of the $350 million total assistance requested, $250 million should be directed to Artsakh, and $100 million to Armenia.

Yerimyan went on to encourage Congress to uphold the restrictions on the Azerbaijani government put in place by Section 907 of the FREEDOM Act, and to stop all aid that would add to the offensive capabilities of the Government of Azerbaijan. The ANCA is also requesting that Congress instruct international financial institutions to “vote against any extension by the respective institution of any loan or grant to the Government of Azerbaijan, except to meet basic human needs or to promote democracy.”

Yerimyan closed her testimony to the House’s Appropriations Subcommittee on State-Foreign Operations emphasizing “the necessity for the U.S. to assist in Armenia and Artsakh’s economic and humanitarian efforts and to immediately stop all military assistance to Azerbaijan.”

The full text of the ANCA’s submitted testimony is available here.