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RADIO LIBERTY: AZERBAIJANI AUTHORITIES HIRE A NEW LOBBYIST IN UNITED STATES TO RESTORE THEIR IMAGE
15:19 24/10/2014 >> REGION
Radio "Liberty": Azerbaijani authorities hire a new lobbyist in United
States to restore their imageAzerbaijan has hired a veteran Republican
Party adviser and political strategist Liz Mair, to boost its public
image in the United States, the Radio Liberty reports.
According to the article Baku's embassy in Washington has signed
a contract with Liz Mair, whose public-relations firm will aim to
generate news coverage to "impact various U.S. government officials,
as well as the U.S. general public".
Under the terms of the six-month contract, Azerbaijan will pay Mair's
firm, Mair Strategies, $15,000 a month for public-relations services.
As it is noted in the article the move comes as Azerbaijan faces
mounting criticism over its human rights record from Western officials,
analysts, and rights groups.
The author noes that since Azerbaijan assumed the chairmanship of the
Council of Europe's committee of ministers in May, it has undertaken
"the most serious and brutal crackdown on civil society in Azerbaijan
ever," according to the Berlin-based European Stability Initiative.
At the same time, Azerbaijani officials have sought to portray the
country as a valuable U.S. and European ally, and as a crucial player
in energy security, the article reads.
However, according to the article, critics have accused Baku of using
the Ukraine crisis and its lobbying push to deflect attention from
its human rights record, including a sweeping crackdown in recent
months against journalists, lawyers, and other government critics
in Azerbaijan.
The article also notes that, in 2013, Azerbaijan was the 10th-largest
spender on lobbying efforts in the United States among foreign
governments, shelling out almost $2.3 million, according to an
analysis by the Sunlight Foundation. Azerbaijan has also signed a
$50,000-per-month contract with The Podesta Group, a top Washington
lobbying firm.
http://www.panorama.am/en/politics/2014/10/24/l-mayer/
15:19 24/10/2014 >> REGION
Radio "Liberty": Azerbaijani authorities hire a new lobbyist in United
States to restore their imageAzerbaijan has hired a veteran Republican
Party adviser and political strategist Liz Mair, to boost its public
image in the United States, the Radio Liberty reports.
According to the article Baku's embassy in Washington has signed
a contract with Liz Mair, whose public-relations firm will aim to
generate news coverage to "impact various U.S. government officials,
as well as the U.S. general public".
Under the terms of the six-month contract, Azerbaijan will pay Mair's
firm, Mair Strategies, $15,000 a month for public-relations services.
As it is noted in the article the move comes as Azerbaijan faces
mounting criticism over its human rights record from Western officials,
analysts, and rights groups.
The author noes that since Azerbaijan assumed the chairmanship of the
Council of Europe's committee of ministers in May, it has undertaken
"the most serious and brutal crackdown on civil society in Azerbaijan
ever," according to the Berlin-based European Stability Initiative.
At the same time, Azerbaijani officials have sought to portray the
country as a valuable U.S. and European ally, and as a crucial player
in energy security, the article reads.
However, according to the article, critics have accused Baku of using
the Ukraine crisis and its lobbying push to deflect attention from
its human rights record, including a sweeping crackdown in recent
months against journalists, lawyers, and other government critics
in Azerbaijan.
The article also notes that, in 2013, Azerbaijan was the 10th-largest
spender on lobbying efforts in the United States among foreign
governments, shelling out almost $2.3 million, according to an
analysis by the Sunlight Foundation. Azerbaijan has also signed a
$50,000-per-month contract with The Podesta Group, a top Washington
lobbying firm.
http://www.panorama.am/en/politics/2014/10/24/l-mayer/