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Worried By Afghan War, U.S. Seeks To Ease Strains With Baku

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  • Worried By Afghan War, U.S. Seeks To Ease Strains With Baku

    WORRIED BY AFGHAN WAR, U.S. SEEKS TO EASE STRAINS WITH BAKU

    DefenseNews.com
    http://www.defensenews.com/story.php?i=4659526&c=EUR&s=LAN
    June 7 2010

    Agence France-Presse

    ABOARD A U.S. MILITARY AIRCRAFT - U.S. President Barack Obama has
    promised Azerbaijan that Washington will treat its dispute with
    Armenia as a top priority, in a letter that officials released Monday.

    Seeking to shore up ties with a crucial ally in the Afghan war,
    Defense Secretary Robert Gates on Sunday hand-delivered the letter
    to President Ilham Aliyev.

    Obama wrote that a peaceful resolution to Baku's dispute with Armenia
    over the Nagorny Karabakh region was vital for the stability of the
    South Caucasus region.

    "Support for this outcome will remain a priority for the United
    States," the letter said, according to a copy provided to reporters.

    Obama acknowledged some strain in U.S. relations with Azerbaijan,
    which has complained that the administration had neglected Baku's
    concerns despite its key link in supply lines for Afghanistan.

    "I am aware of the fact that there are serious issues in our
    relationship, but I am confident that we can address them," wrote
    Obama, who also promised more high level US visits in the future.

    After his talks with Aliyev, Gates expressed gratitude for Baku's
    help with the NATO-led war effort by allowing tens of thousands of
    aircraft to pass through the country's airspace since 2001.

    But Azerbaijan's overarching focus was on its long-running disagreement
    with Armenia, Gates told reporters aboard his aircraft bound for
    London.

    "They're obviously very concerned about the lack of progress on"
    Nagorny Karabakh, he said.

    "I said I would carry that message back to Secretary (of State Hillary)
    Clinton."

    Human rights groups have accused the US administration of overlooking
    abuses in strategic countries across the Caucasus region - including
    Azerbaijan - in its drive to secure supply routes for the NATO-led
    mission in Afghanistan.

    The United States, along with France and Russia, is a co-chair of
    the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe's (OSCE)
    Minsk Group, which has been heading international efforts to reach
    a permanent resolution to the conflict over Karabakh.

    Backed by Yerevan, ethnic Armenian forces seized control of Nagorny
    Karabakh and seven surrounding districts from Azerbaijan in the early
    1990s, in a war that claimed an estimated 30,000 lives.




    From: A. Papazian
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