U.S. to unveil $300mln in new aid initiatives for AfghanistanFebruary 10, 2014 - 10:44 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - The United States will unveil $300 million Monday, Feb 10, in new aid initiatives for Afghanistan for the impoverished nation as the war economy winds down and global troops withdraw, a U.S. official said, according to AFP. The programs are being rolled out by the U.S. Agency for International Development. The first tranche of some $77 million aims to enhance trade and fiscal sustainability to support Afghanistan's accession to the World Trade Organization later this year. "Peer-reviewed articles suggest that if countries like Afghanistan make the regulatory reforms required to achieve WTO accession, they will typically see a net jump in GDP of 20 percent within the first five years," a State Department official told AFP, asking not to be named. The program will help support trade deals with Central Asian republics and India, and aid the government to boost its revenues through implementing such things as value added tax. A second, $92 million five-year program will help develop a more skilled workforce, partnering American universities with 10 Afghan universities. This program went into force on Jan 1. The third initiative worth some $120 million will support Afghanistan's agriculture sector, focusing especially on areas such as wheat and livestock, improving job opportunities and food security. "Among other things, this program is expected to eventually benefit 400,000 farmers from access to better technology and marketing and produce a 20 percent increase in yields for wheat and target crops," the official said. News of the programs come as Congress has conditioned further aid assistance to Afghanistan on the signing of a bilateral security deal to guarantee the presence of U.S. troops after all combat forces pull out this year. More than 50,000 combat troops from the U.S.-led NATO force are due to leave by the end of 2014. But Washington is proposing that around 10,000 U.S. soldiers are deployed from 2015 to train and assist Afghan security forces in their battle against Taliban militants. German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier arrived Sunday in Afghanistan on an unannounced visit and urged President Hamid Karzai to sign the long-delayed security pact with the United States. Photo: BBC Related links: Top stories Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev arrived in Moscow on April 22 to hold talks with Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin. Authorities said a total of 192 Azerbaijani troops were killed and 511 were wounded during Azerbaijan’s offensive. In 2023, the Azerbaijani government will increase the country’s defense budget by more than 1.1 billion manats ($650 million). The bill, published on Monday, is designed to "eliminate the shortcomings of an unreasonably broad interpretation of the key concept of "compatriot". Partner news | International cybercrime ringleaders arrested in Armenia, Ukraine Europol, Europe's crime agency, has arrested four ringleaders of several cybercrime networks that used botnets. Armenia skips CSTO Defense Ministers meeting A meeting of the Council of Defense Ministers of the Collective Security Treaty Organization countries began in Almaty. Armenian, Iranian foreigh policy chief talk over the phone The Foreign Minister of Armenia once again expressed condolences to his counterpart on the death of the President of Iran. Armenia, U.S. customs authorities to boost assistance with new deal The government has approved an agreement with the U.S. government on mutual assistance between the customs authorities. |