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AN ETHNIC LOBBY HARMS NATIONAL INTERESTS, WASTES TAXPAYER MONEY
The Sacramento Bee
Nov 2 2012
CA
LOS ANGELES, Nov. 2, 2012 -- THE FOLLOWING IS BEING ISSUED BY THE
AZERBAIJANI-AMERICAN COUNCIL
LOS ANGELES, Nov. 2, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Ahead of next
week's elections, collusion of some ethnic lobbies with electoral
politics continues to hurt our national interests. Case in point is
the Armenian-American special interest groups' attempt to turn U.S.
foreign policy against Azerbaijan and in favor of Armenia.
In 1991-1994, the two post-Soviet nations fought a war over the
Nagorno-Karabakh region, which ended with Armenia's occupation of
the fifth of Azerbaijan and an expulsion of over 800,000 Azerbaijanis.
Meeting with the Armenian-American constituents last month,
Congressmen Brad Sherman (D-CA) and Howard Berman (D-CA) raced
each other on damaging U.S.-Azerbaijani relations. Mr. Berman even
called on Secretary Clinton "to suspend Azerbaijan from all future
NATO-sponsored activities."
Meanwhile, Rep. Adam Schiff (D-CA) has been striving to ensure that
the U.S. aid to the victims of Nagorno-Karabakh conflict is directed
only to ethnic Armenians and away from Azerbaijani refugees.
Accommodating the same special interest, in 2010-2011, Senators Robert
Menendez (D-NJ) and Barbara Boxer (D-CA) obstructed the confirmation
of Matthew Bryza as the Ambassador to Azerbaijan... by arguing that
his wife is Turkish.
Since attaining independence in 1991, Azerbaijan has been a steadfast
partner of the United States. After 9/11, the country promptly
opened its airspace and contributed forces for the U.S. missions in
Afghanistan and Iraq, and remains the main over-flight and landing
route for our forces in Afghanistan. Sharing its longest border with
Iran, Azerbaijan has thwarted a number of terrorist plots against
Americans, such as the March 2012 apprehension of 22 suspects trained
by Iran's Revolutionary Guards to attack U.S. and Israeli embassies.
Moreover, developed by Western companies, Azerbaijani oil and gas
safeguard Europe's energy security.
In contrast, Armenia is a member of the Russian-led Collective
Security Treaty and hosts Russia's only military base in the South
Caucasus. While receiving over $2 billion in U.S. assistance since
1992, Armenia's government delivered 1000 RPG-22M rockets and 260 PKM
machine guns to Iran in 2003. According to the U.S. State Department
cables, these weapons were used in the 2008 killing of a U.S.
serviceman, Sgt Matthew Straughter, by the Iran-backed militias
in Iraq.
These facts highlight the necessity of decoupling such ethnocentric
lobbying from electoral politics to protect national interests and
to save taxpayer dollars from funding America's adversaries. The
upcoming elections are an opportunity to face that challenge.
SOURCE Azerbaijani-American Council
http://www.sacbee.com/2012/11/02/4956908/an-ethnic-lobby-harms-national.html
From: Baghdasarian
The Sacramento Bee
Nov 2 2012
CA
LOS ANGELES, Nov. 2, 2012 -- THE FOLLOWING IS BEING ISSUED BY THE
AZERBAIJANI-AMERICAN COUNCIL
LOS ANGELES, Nov. 2, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Ahead of next
week's elections, collusion of some ethnic lobbies with electoral
politics continues to hurt our national interests. Case in point is
the Armenian-American special interest groups' attempt to turn U.S.
foreign policy against Azerbaijan and in favor of Armenia.
In 1991-1994, the two post-Soviet nations fought a war over the
Nagorno-Karabakh region, which ended with Armenia's occupation of
the fifth of Azerbaijan and an expulsion of over 800,000 Azerbaijanis.
Meeting with the Armenian-American constituents last month,
Congressmen Brad Sherman (D-CA) and Howard Berman (D-CA) raced
each other on damaging U.S.-Azerbaijani relations. Mr. Berman even
called on Secretary Clinton "to suspend Azerbaijan from all future
NATO-sponsored activities."
Meanwhile, Rep. Adam Schiff (D-CA) has been striving to ensure that
the U.S. aid to the victims of Nagorno-Karabakh conflict is directed
only to ethnic Armenians and away from Azerbaijani refugees.
Accommodating the same special interest, in 2010-2011, Senators Robert
Menendez (D-NJ) and Barbara Boxer (D-CA) obstructed the confirmation
of Matthew Bryza as the Ambassador to Azerbaijan... by arguing that
his wife is Turkish.
Since attaining independence in 1991, Azerbaijan has been a steadfast
partner of the United States. After 9/11, the country promptly
opened its airspace and contributed forces for the U.S. missions in
Afghanistan and Iraq, and remains the main over-flight and landing
route for our forces in Afghanistan. Sharing its longest border with
Iran, Azerbaijan has thwarted a number of terrorist plots against
Americans, such as the March 2012 apprehension of 22 suspects trained
by Iran's Revolutionary Guards to attack U.S. and Israeli embassies.
Moreover, developed by Western companies, Azerbaijani oil and gas
safeguard Europe's energy security.
In contrast, Armenia is a member of the Russian-led Collective
Security Treaty and hosts Russia's only military base in the South
Caucasus. While receiving over $2 billion in U.S. assistance since
1992, Armenia's government delivered 1000 RPG-22M rockets and 260 PKM
machine guns to Iran in 2003. According to the U.S. State Department
cables, these weapons were used in the 2008 killing of a U.S.
serviceman, Sgt Matthew Straughter, by the Iran-backed militias
in Iraq.
These facts highlight the necessity of decoupling such ethnocentric
lobbying from electoral politics to protect national interests and
to save taxpayer dollars from funding America's adversaries. The
upcoming elections are an opportunity to face that challenge.
SOURCE Azerbaijani-American Council
http://www.sacbee.com/2012/11/02/4956908/an-ethnic-lobby-harms-national.html
From: Baghdasarian