The US House Appropriations Committee today approved the State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs (SFOPS) funding bill for Fiscal Year (FY) 2016, which covers US assistance to Armenia and the region.

The bill maintains Section 907 of the Freedom Support Act, which was enacted in 1992 to address Azerbaijan's hostile actions against Armenia.

While funding for the countries of the South Caucasus was not specifically delineated, the SFOPS Report did highlight the need for additional assistance to Syrian refugees, Christians and other minorities impacted by the Syrian civil war and the Islamic State (ISIS).