Full Senate Blocks US Subsidy for Kars-Baku Railway

PanARMENIAN.Net - The Armenian National Committee of America welcomed the adoption by the US Senate of legislation protecting US taxpayers from funding an unnecessary and costly proposed railroad between Turkey and Georgia that would, if built, circumvent Armenia. The Senate, during its final day in session before the November 7 mid-term elections, passed the measure by unanimous consent as part of its reauthorization of the Export-Import Bank. On September 21 the Senate Banking Committee, during its consideration of the Export-Import bill, had agreed to add the railway language, offered initially as an amendment by Sen. Robert Menendez (D-NJ), to the larger measure. The Menendez Amendment was ultimately accepted as a "manager's amendment" by Committee Chairman Richard Shelby (R-AL) and Ranking Democrat Paul Sarbanes (D-MD) and unanimously approved by the panel. "Armenian Americans welcome the Senate's strong stand against the efforts of Turkey and Azerbaijan to institutionalize their blockades of Armenia and Nagorno Karabakh," said ANCA Executive Director Aram Hamparian, reports asbarez.com.