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U.S. AND AZERBAIJAN: A FRIEND IN NEED IS A FRIEND INDEED
Sacramento Bee, CA
June 27 2013
By Consulate General of Azerbaijan in Los Angeles
Published: Thursday, Jun. 27, 2013 - 7:27 am
LOS ANGELES, June 27, 2013 -- /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The following
article is being released by Nasimi Aghayev, Consul General of
Azerbaijan in Los Angeles:
I was in Baku recently for the "U.S.-Azerbaijan Convention: Vision for
Future", which brought together over 300 elected officials from the
U.S., including senators and congressmen from Washington DC as well as
state legislators and other elected officials from 42 states. The
convention was a chance to reflect on how far the partnership has come
and look forward to the future of this remarkable relationship.
The convention was also an opportunity for U.S. officials to meet
their Azerbaijani counterparts on a grand scale, and to learn more
about Azerbaijan - and its vital importance for America.
Sharing the same values as well as interests, the relationship is
based on three key areas.
Firstly, Azerbaijan has made an invaluable contribution to America's
national security. It's a reliable ally in a difficult region: located
at the crossroads of East and West, Azerbaijan is a rare example of a
secular, modern and progressive Muslim-majority country. It has been a
steadfast ally in the fight against terrorism and has been supporting
the international effort in Afghanistan. Azerbaijani soldiers have
served there with distinction alongside U.S. forces, and the country
is a crucial part of the transport corridor for the Afghan mission:
around 40% of cargoes for Afghanistan transit Azerbaijani territory.
Additionally, Azerbaijan has been indispensable in supporting global
energy security, a key policy of U.S. administrations for forty years.
Azerbaijan has and will continue to be a reliable supplier of energy
to Europe and the West. With the upcoming construction of a major gas
pipeline to Europe, Azerbaijan will become key to developing a
long-term and diverse energy supply for this continent.
Thirdly, Azerbaijan is a symbol of intercultural and interreligious
harmony. As our Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov said recently in
Washington addressing the American Jewish Committee, Azerbaijan
"enjoys a centuries-long tradition of peaceful co-existence among its
Muslim, Christian and Jewish communities." Secretary of State John
Kerry lauded this exemplary tolerance, noting Azerbaijan's "commitment
to fighting anti-Semitism and a commitment to diversity and
pluralism."
However, guided by an unhealthy zero-sum mentality, one particular
group in Washington has always been unhappy and envious about anything
positive happening in U.S.-Azerbaijan relations. Since the very
beginning of Azerbaijan's independence, the Armenian lobby has
conducted a comprehensive campaign in the nation's capital to damage
U.S.-Azerbaijan strategic partnership, undermine Azerbaijani interests
and defend at all costs the illegal military occupation of 20% of
Azerbaijan's internationally recognized territory by Armenia - the
occupation that was accompanied by massacres and total ethnic
cleansing, leading to the forced expulsion of hundreds of thousands of
Azerbaijanis from their native lands.
In trying to hurt Azerbaijan, the Armenian lobby has constantly harmed
U.S. national interests: and it continues to do so today only
following its own ethnocentric agenda without any regard for America's
core interests.
One vivid example has been Section 907 of the Freedom Support Act,
which, passed in 1992 after intensive lobbying of Congress by Armenian
pressure groups, bans any direct U.S. government aid to Azerbaijan.
The absurdity of the section lies in the fact that it rewarded the
aggressor and punished the victim. And it prevented the U.S. to help
its ally during the difficult years of 1990s when such help was very
much needed. Although Section 907 has been waived every year since
9/11, in recognition of Azerbaijan's support in the fight against
terrorism, its very existence is damaging, and therefore the full
repeal of this unfair law is critical for U.S.-Azerbaijan relations.
It is important for our friendship, and it is important for the sake
of restoring justice.
Or take the case of Matthew Bryza, a skilled and highly esteemed
diplomat with deep knowledge of the Caucasus, whose nomination to
become America's next ambassador to Azerbaijan was blocked in 2010 in
the U.S. Senate under the influence of Armenian special-interest
groups. This undermining of U.S. policy left a key post unoccupied for
many months, and after serving for a year on a recess appointment,
Bryza had to return to Washington last January and quit the U.S.
Foreign Service: a serious loss for American diplomacy.
Armenian lobbying in Washington has also harmed America's leadership
in the peace process on the Armenia-Azerbaijan conflict. To date,
Armenia refuses to withdraw its forces from the occupied regions of
Azerbaijan - the first step of the peace plan drawn up by
international mediators - in contravention of numerous U.N. Security
Council resolutions.
The U.S. has both the capability and the motivation to persuade
Armenia to withdraw its troops from Azerbaijan, enable the displaced
population to return to their homes and begin building peace. Active
engagement in the peace process by the U.S. is crucial to the success
of this peace effort. So far it is missing. The Minsk Group, the
primary international mediation body for this conflict, is still
waiting for a permanent U.S. co-chair. It goes without saying that
resolving this conflict is key to stability in an increasingly
important part of the world, where the U.S. has so much at stake.
The Convention in Baku demonstrated how far the U.S.-Azerbaijan
relationship has come - but U.S. interests and U.S. values would be
far better served by strengthening this partnership even further,
while disregarding any attempts to undermine it.
SOURCE Consulate General of Azerbaijan in Los Angeles
http://www.sacbee.com/2013/06/27/5528624/us-and-azerbaijan-a-friend-in.html
From: Baghdasarian
Sacramento Bee, CA
June 27 2013
By Consulate General of Azerbaijan in Los Angeles
Published: Thursday, Jun. 27, 2013 - 7:27 am
LOS ANGELES, June 27, 2013 -- /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The following
article is being released by Nasimi Aghayev, Consul General of
Azerbaijan in Los Angeles:
I was in Baku recently for the "U.S.-Azerbaijan Convention: Vision for
Future", which brought together over 300 elected officials from the
U.S., including senators and congressmen from Washington DC as well as
state legislators and other elected officials from 42 states. The
convention was a chance to reflect on how far the partnership has come
and look forward to the future of this remarkable relationship.
The convention was also an opportunity for U.S. officials to meet
their Azerbaijani counterparts on a grand scale, and to learn more
about Azerbaijan - and its vital importance for America.
Sharing the same values as well as interests, the relationship is
based on three key areas.
Firstly, Azerbaijan has made an invaluable contribution to America's
national security. It's a reliable ally in a difficult region: located
at the crossroads of East and West, Azerbaijan is a rare example of a
secular, modern and progressive Muslim-majority country. It has been a
steadfast ally in the fight against terrorism and has been supporting
the international effort in Afghanistan. Azerbaijani soldiers have
served there with distinction alongside U.S. forces, and the country
is a crucial part of the transport corridor for the Afghan mission:
around 40% of cargoes for Afghanistan transit Azerbaijani territory.
Additionally, Azerbaijan has been indispensable in supporting global
energy security, a key policy of U.S. administrations for forty years.
Azerbaijan has and will continue to be a reliable supplier of energy
to Europe and the West. With the upcoming construction of a major gas
pipeline to Europe, Azerbaijan will become key to developing a
long-term and diverse energy supply for this continent.
Thirdly, Azerbaijan is a symbol of intercultural and interreligious
harmony. As our Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov said recently in
Washington addressing the American Jewish Committee, Azerbaijan
"enjoys a centuries-long tradition of peaceful co-existence among its
Muslim, Christian and Jewish communities." Secretary of State John
Kerry lauded this exemplary tolerance, noting Azerbaijan's "commitment
to fighting anti-Semitism and a commitment to diversity and
pluralism."
However, guided by an unhealthy zero-sum mentality, one particular
group in Washington has always been unhappy and envious about anything
positive happening in U.S.-Azerbaijan relations. Since the very
beginning of Azerbaijan's independence, the Armenian lobby has
conducted a comprehensive campaign in the nation's capital to damage
U.S.-Azerbaijan strategic partnership, undermine Azerbaijani interests
and defend at all costs the illegal military occupation of 20% of
Azerbaijan's internationally recognized territory by Armenia - the
occupation that was accompanied by massacres and total ethnic
cleansing, leading to the forced expulsion of hundreds of thousands of
Azerbaijanis from their native lands.
In trying to hurt Azerbaijan, the Armenian lobby has constantly harmed
U.S. national interests: and it continues to do so today only
following its own ethnocentric agenda without any regard for America's
core interests.
One vivid example has been Section 907 of the Freedom Support Act,
which, passed in 1992 after intensive lobbying of Congress by Armenian
pressure groups, bans any direct U.S. government aid to Azerbaijan.
The absurdity of the section lies in the fact that it rewarded the
aggressor and punished the victim. And it prevented the U.S. to help
its ally during the difficult years of 1990s when such help was very
much needed. Although Section 907 has been waived every year since
9/11, in recognition of Azerbaijan's support in the fight against
terrorism, its very existence is damaging, and therefore the full
repeal of this unfair law is critical for U.S.-Azerbaijan relations.
It is important for our friendship, and it is important for the sake
of restoring justice.
Or take the case of Matthew Bryza, a skilled and highly esteemed
diplomat with deep knowledge of the Caucasus, whose nomination to
become America's next ambassador to Azerbaijan was blocked in 2010 in
the U.S. Senate under the influence of Armenian special-interest
groups. This undermining of U.S. policy left a key post unoccupied for
many months, and after serving for a year on a recess appointment,
Bryza had to return to Washington last January and quit the U.S.
Foreign Service: a serious loss for American diplomacy.
Armenian lobbying in Washington has also harmed America's leadership
in the peace process on the Armenia-Azerbaijan conflict. To date,
Armenia refuses to withdraw its forces from the occupied regions of
Azerbaijan - the first step of the peace plan drawn up by
international mediators - in contravention of numerous U.N. Security
Council resolutions.
The U.S. has both the capability and the motivation to persuade
Armenia to withdraw its troops from Azerbaijan, enable the displaced
population to return to their homes and begin building peace. Active
engagement in the peace process by the U.S. is crucial to the success
of this peace effort. So far it is missing. The Minsk Group, the
primary international mediation body for this conflict, is still
waiting for a permanent U.S. co-chair. It goes without saying that
resolving this conflict is key to stability in an increasingly
important part of the world, where the U.S. has so much at stake.
The Convention in Baku demonstrated how far the U.S.-Azerbaijan
relationship has come - but U.S. interests and U.S. values would be
far better served by strengthening this partnership even further,
while disregarding any attempts to undermine it.
SOURCE Consulate General of Azerbaijan in Los Angeles
http://www.sacbee.com/2013/06/27/5528624/us-and-azerbaijan-a-friend-in.html
From: Baghdasarian