DUSHANBE, February 27, 2009, Asia-Plus — The United States plans to provide assistance worth US$29 million to Tajikistan this year, Mr. Daniel Rosenblum, the Coordinator of U.S. Assistance to Europe and Eurasia, told reporters in Dushanbe on February 26.
Mr. Rosenblum arrived in Dushanbe yesterday for a two-day working visit. The purpose of the visit is for him to get acquainted with the course of implementation of the U.S. assistance programs in Tajikistan.
Mr. Rosenblum noted that last year, the United States provided US$31 million worth of assistance to Tajikistan. According to him, reduction in assistance is not directly connected with financial crisis; it has resulted rather from changes in priorities of the U.S. overseas assistance worldwide. The United States has paid less attention to the region of Europe and the former Soviet republics in recent years, providing more resources to such countries as Afghanistan and Iraq as well as AIDS-prevention programs.
“However, it does not mean that the former Soviet republics are abandoned by the United States,” said Mr. Rosenblum, “The problem is that resources are limited and the U.S. has to choose countries that need assistance more.” He noted that compared to 2001 assistance to the former Soviet republics in 2008 reduced by 60 percent.
According to him, assistance to be provided by the United States to Tajikistan this year is partially humanitarian; however, it includes other categories as well. He noted that in 2009, the United States would provide assistance to Tajikistan in five directions: peace and security; fair and democratic government with regard for rule of law; health care and education; economic development; and humanitarian aid. The assistance will be provided in different forms, including technical assistance, small grants, loans through microfinance organizations as well as in the from of humanitarian aid.
Mr. Daniel Rosenblum is the Coordinator of U.S. Assistance to Europe and Eurasia. Working within the State Department’s Bureau for European and Eurasian Affairs, and coordinating closely with the Bureau for South and Central Asian Affairs and the Office of the Director of Foreign Assistance, Mr. Rosenblum oversees all U.S. Government assistance to more than thirty countries in Europe and Eurasia, with primary focus on the Balkans and the former Soviet Union, including Central Asia. He coordinates the programs of more than a dozen U.S. government agencies and State Department bureaus involved in U.S. economic, democratic, security, and humanitarian assistance in the region, and designs assistance strategies that support U.S. foreign policy priorities. He also plays the lead role in allocating foreign assistance budgets appropriated by Congress, and works closely with foreign governments, multilateral institutions, and NGOs to ensure that U.S. foreign aid is used efficiently and effectively.
