US Congress members planning 'unprecedented trip' to Armenia
A delegation of US Congress representatives is visiting Armenia this Sunday upon the initiative of Jackie Kanchelian Speier, a congresswoman of Armenian descent.
“Our parents would be really proud to see that we are visiting Armenia,” VOA News quotes the legislator as saying.
The delegation includes pro-Armenian Congress members, such as Frank Pallone (who delivered US humanitarian aid to Armenia after the 1988 earthquake), Anna Eshoo (also an ethnic Armenian), and David Valadao (whose initiative to allocate additional funds to Nagorno-Karabakh to assist in demining activities recently received a Congress approval). Tulsi Gabbad and Jim Sensebrener, elected respectively from Hawaii and Wisconsin, are also expected be among the guests.
The agenda of the biggest ever US delegation’s visit to Armenia (since the country’s independence) is going to be really very busy, Kanchelian Speier said, as anti-corruption and democracy development initiatives are going to be among the key priorities.
The congresswoman said the trip also has an emotional significance for her as an Armenian conducting her ever first visit to her historical fatherland.
She added that they intend to address also political issues to increase the US assistance to Armenia “which is under Russia’s aggressive influence”.
The US legislators are also planning to discuss with the Armenian authorities measures towards fostering the country’s energy independence.