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AZERBAIJAN'S OIL MONEY IS FOR PR NOW
17:35, 10 October, 2013
Within the recent decades Armenian-American community in the United
States has achieved considerable success in gaining political and
material support from the Congress. Meanwhile In spite of oil money and
support of Turkey and Jewish community, Azerbaijan is still losing "PR
war" with Armenia in the United States. Alongside with various cultural
events organizing by different Azerbaijani organizations in the USA,
Azeri policy-makers also are trying to use professional American
PR companies in order to overcoming Armenian lobby and improving
Azerbaijan's image within the American public and the USA government.
So far we can see that this intention is going beyond the theory
and assuming more practical sense year by year. Azerbaijan pays more
attention to the building of the relations with the USA government
and media thus exerting all possible effort to push Azeri interests
in the USA.
Since 2010 Azerbaijan signed a contract with one of the American law
firms Patton Boggs which provides legal services in every major facet
of government advocacy. The services of the company include counseling
and assisting of Azerbaijan with regard to US-Azerbaijan bilateral
relations. For this Azerbaijani government pays 35.000$ per month.
Another American lobbying firm The Livingston Group recognized as
one of the most respected bipartisan government relations firms
in Washington, received approximately 672.000$ in 2007-2008 for
organizing political consultations with the members of the US
Congress from Azerbaijani MFA through Embassy of Azerbaijan in the
USA and also for carrying out various actions on the actions on the
subject of building American-Azerbaijan relations, freedom of speech
in Azerbaijan and assistance in organizing visits of Azerbaijani MFA
representatives in the USA.
Jefferson Waterman International which has represented governments,
political interests, and leading international corporations, helping
them achieve objectives in the U.S. and worldwide for 15 years,
received from the International Bank of Azerbaijan about 108.100$
for the operations on lobbying the legislation in the interest of
the pledge. The same company received 26.000$ from the Azerbaijani
President for the similar operations in working out the strategy on
the relations with the press.
Currently Azerbaijan America Alliance assumes the main lobbying and
PR role in the United States. According to Center for Responsive
Politics total lobbying expenditures for 2012 were $2,920,000, and
the Alliance signed $2,4 million yearlong contract with the lobby
firm Fabian&Co. to conduct outreach in the United States.
Azerbaijan America Alliance was founded in 2010 by Anar Mammadov, a son
of the Azerbaijan's corrupt transport minister Ziya Mammadov. Before
founding Azerbaijan America Alliance, Anar Mammadov was known for
suing a newspaper that published a story about him paying $1 million
dollars at a restaurant to grill a live bear from the venue's small
zoo. His father, Ziya Mammadov, is mentioned in Wikileaks cables and
OCCRP reports as one of the top corrupt Azeri oligarchs. According to
FARA records, Azerbaijan America Alliance 's funding comes mainly from
"ZQAN Holding" and "Bank of Azerbaijan" -- entities that form Mammadov
family's shadowy business empire.
One of the latest great PR and lobbing event organizing by the
Azerbaijan America Alliance in Washington, D.C was a gala dinner.
Nearly 700 were invited guests from the Obama Administration, Capitol
Hill, the Diplomatic Corps and the think tank and academic communities.
Rep. Dan Burton, the Chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee
on Europe and Eurasia, Senator Saxby Chambliss, Senator Richard Burr
and House Speaker John Boehner among the guests.
Along with the big projects Azerbaijani diplomatic missions to the
United States themselves initiating various PR activities with the
assistance of American communication and law firms to carry out media
campaigns, building media contacts organizing events, etc. For example,
Melwood Global Company received from the Embassy of Azerbaijan an
unspecified sum for carrying out media-strategy in the interests of
the Republic of Azerbaijan. The Co-Founder of the Company is John Boit,
who has a huge experience of working in Azerbaijan.
In 2000, he became Azerbaijan country director of Internews.
The Azerbaijani General Consulate transferred about 8.900$ to Sitrick
and Company, the staff of which includes former editors and reporters
from such news organizations as The Wall Street Journal, The New York
Times , Bloomberg News,Los Angeles Times, and NBC and CBS Television
news, for the assistance in building contacts with the Los Angeles
media. After one year Sitrick and Company replaced with Toolshed
Group, founded by Jason Katz, former Director of Public Affairs for
the American Jewish Committee.
National Center of Young Researchers
http://armenpress.am/eng/news/736131/azerbaijan%E2%80%99s-oil-money-is-for-pr-now.html
17:35, 10 October, 2013
Within the recent decades Armenian-American community in the United
States has achieved considerable success in gaining political and
material support from the Congress. Meanwhile In spite of oil money and
support of Turkey and Jewish community, Azerbaijan is still losing "PR
war" with Armenia in the United States. Alongside with various cultural
events organizing by different Azerbaijani organizations in the USA,
Azeri policy-makers also are trying to use professional American
PR companies in order to overcoming Armenian lobby and improving
Azerbaijan's image within the American public and the USA government.
So far we can see that this intention is going beyond the theory
and assuming more practical sense year by year. Azerbaijan pays more
attention to the building of the relations with the USA government
and media thus exerting all possible effort to push Azeri interests
in the USA.
Since 2010 Azerbaijan signed a contract with one of the American law
firms Patton Boggs which provides legal services in every major facet
of government advocacy. The services of the company include counseling
and assisting of Azerbaijan with regard to US-Azerbaijan bilateral
relations. For this Azerbaijani government pays 35.000$ per month.
Another American lobbying firm The Livingston Group recognized as
one of the most respected bipartisan government relations firms
in Washington, received approximately 672.000$ in 2007-2008 for
organizing political consultations with the members of the US
Congress from Azerbaijani MFA through Embassy of Azerbaijan in the
USA and also for carrying out various actions on the actions on the
subject of building American-Azerbaijan relations, freedom of speech
in Azerbaijan and assistance in organizing visits of Azerbaijani MFA
representatives in the USA.
Jefferson Waterman International which has represented governments,
political interests, and leading international corporations, helping
them achieve objectives in the U.S. and worldwide for 15 years,
received from the International Bank of Azerbaijan about 108.100$
for the operations on lobbying the legislation in the interest of
the pledge. The same company received 26.000$ from the Azerbaijani
President for the similar operations in working out the strategy on
the relations with the press.
Currently Azerbaijan America Alliance assumes the main lobbying and
PR role in the United States. According to Center for Responsive
Politics total lobbying expenditures for 2012 were $2,920,000, and
the Alliance signed $2,4 million yearlong contract with the lobby
firm Fabian&Co. to conduct outreach in the United States.
Azerbaijan America Alliance was founded in 2010 by Anar Mammadov, a son
of the Azerbaijan's corrupt transport minister Ziya Mammadov. Before
founding Azerbaijan America Alliance, Anar Mammadov was known for
suing a newspaper that published a story about him paying $1 million
dollars at a restaurant to grill a live bear from the venue's small
zoo. His father, Ziya Mammadov, is mentioned in Wikileaks cables and
OCCRP reports as one of the top corrupt Azeri oligarchs. According to
FARA records, Azerbaijan America Alliance 's funding comes mainly from
"ZQAN Holding" and "Bank of Azerbaijan" -- entities that form Mammadov
family's shadowy business empire.
One of the latest great PR and lobbing event organizing by the
Azerbaijan America Alliance in Washington, D.C was a gala dinner.
Nearly 700 were invited guests from the Obama Administration, Capitol
Hill, the Diplomatic Corps and the think tank and academic communities.
Rep. Dan Burton, the Chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee
on Europe and Eurasia, Senator Saxby Chambliss, Senator Richard Burr
and House Speaker John Boehner among the guests.
Along with the big projects Azerbaijani diplomatic missions to the
United States themselves initiating various PR activities with the
assistance of American communication and law firms to carry out media
campaigns, building media contacts organizing events, etc. For example,
Melwood Global Company received from the Embassy of Azerbaijan an
unspecified sum for carrying out media-strategy in the interests of
the Republic of Azerbaijan. The Co-Founder of the Company is John Boit,
who has a huge experience of working in Azerbaijan.
In 2000, he became Azerbaijan country director of Internews.
The Azerbaijani General Consulate transferred about 8.900$ to Sitrick
and Company, the staff of which includes former editors and reporters
from such news organizations as The Wall Street Journal, The New York
Times , Bloomberg News,Los Angeles Times, and NBC and CBS Television
news, for the assistance in building contacts with the Los Angeles
media. After one year Sitrick and Company replaced with Toolshed
Group, founded by Jason Katz, former Director of Public Affairs for
the American Jewish Committee.
National Center of Young Researchers
http://armenpress.am/eng/news/736131/azerbaijan%E2%80%99s-oil-money-is-for-pr-now.html