§ 19. Mr. WareingTo ask the Secretary of State for International Development what assistance her Department is providing to Armenia and to help with the refugee problem in Nagorno-Karabakh; and if she will make a statement. [84705]
§ Clare ShortMy Department has provided support to refugees who have fled from Azerbaijan and Karabakh to Armenia, and also to Azeri refugees who have fled from Armenia and Karabakh to Azerbaijan. Between 2000 and 2001, we gave £660,000 to UNHCR to support refugees in Armenia. In March 2001, we also gave an additional £500,000 to WFP to provide emergency food assistance to 297,000 subsistence farmers and other drought victims in Armenia.
We provide approximately £2 million for longer-term developmental assistance to Armenia. This is focused on public sector reform, the implementation of poverty reduction strategies and work on medium-term expenditure planning.
336WIn 2003, DFID in conjunction with the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and the Ministry of Defence, plans to spend a further £2 million from the Global Conflict Prevention Pool on a three-year conflict prevention programme. These funds will be used to help the victims of the conflict and maximise the chances of reaching an acceptable settlement on the Nagorno-Karabakh dispute.