Baku, Azerbaijan, Nov.25
By Anakhanum Khidayatova - Trend:
The US has allocated $115 million to Azerbaijan since 1993 for the projects on humanitarian aid and improving the living standards of refugees, Coordinator of US Assistance to Europe and Eurasia of the US Department of State Alina Romanowski told reporters in Baku.
She said that the total volume of aid allocated to Azerbaijan since 1992 stood at $1.1 billion.
The US aid to Azerbaijan in the form of goods, clothes and food is estimated at $220 million, according to Romanowski.
She pointed out that the US has allocated $30 million to Azerbaijan National Agency for Mine Action (ANAMA) since 1992.
These funds have enabled to detect and defuse around 500,000 mines and unexploded ordnance, Romanowski added.
Further, she noted that the purpose of the US assistance to Azerbaijan is to help the government achieve its goals, diversity the economy and develop the private sector.
The activities of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) in the sphere of agriculture in Azerbaijan have led to progress: the pomegranate production has increased by 57 percent, while the output in other spheres has grown by 12 percent, said the representative of the US State Department.
She added that as a result of the assistance to farmers, the export of pomegranate and nut has increased by 55 percent and 68 percent, respectively.
Moreover, Azerbaijan got assistance in the sphere of democratic development and human rights, said the US diplomat, adding that 97 community centers have been created as part of this assistance.
Romanowski pointed out that these centers have implemented 39 projects aimed at building relations between the residents and local executive power.
Edited by SI
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