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AMERICAN EXPERT: STRATEGIC IMPORTANCE OF AZERBAIJAN FOR UNITED STATES IS REDUCED
18:41 03/02/2015 >> POLITICS
The strategic importance of Azerbaijan for the United States
is reduced, and the official Baku does not show much interest in
strengthening relations with the United States, Wayne Merry, the Senior
Fellow for Europe and Eurasia at the American Foreign Policy Council,
stated during an interview with the "Voice of America," Azerbaijani
information agency "Turan" reports.
"From the side it is difficult to characterize the motives of those
who determine the policy in Baku. But the fact is that in recent
months Azerbaijan has more and more refused to show even minimal
respect for the feelings of America and has resorted to such steps
that irritate not only the US government and President Obama, but
also important people in Congress. Maybe in Baku they do not attach
importance to this, because they are always talking about how important
Azerbaijan is, etc. But for such power as the United States discontent
accumulates, and at some point it's time to "off the account." The
United States attaches great importance to Azerbaijan as a transit
point in the northern transportation network to Afghanistan.
However, due to the reduction of America's role in Afghanistan the
role of Azerbaijan is also reducing. Amid growing tensions in the US
relations with Russia, the value of what is happening in the regions
of the Black Sea, the Caucasus and the Caspian Sea is moving to the
background for Washington.
In my opinion, the day will come when the US will see less importance
of Azerbaijan for Washington than it now seems," the expert noted
answering the question whether there was a link between the crackdowns
on the civil society activists in Azerbaijan and the US-funded
offices in Baku, and the possible reorientation of Baku's foreign
policy towards rapprochement with Russia.
As a response to the question about the importance of the West for
Azerbaijan, Merry said that the growing oil revenues in Azerbaijan
in recent years have opened the way for large-scale corruption and
corrosion, the article states. On the other hand, Azerbaijan's
President Ilham Aliyev and his entourage deal with the internal
situation and increasingly lose their view of the outside world.
"Finally, at the global level Azerbaijan considers itself an extremely
important player, though, in the priorities of the West and the US,
it has no such significance. US should clarify to Azerbaijan that,
in comparison with what was 5-10 years ago, the role of Azerbaijan
in the priorities of America is not so great. The changing energy
market and reduction of America's military presence in Afghanistan
belittle its role. This trend will probably continue to fall and the
importance of Azerbaijan will fall, too," he stressed.
The expert also noted that if Azerbaijan wants to withdraw from
a course on authoritarianism based on the power of oil, then yes,
it needs the West. It is for this reason that the West reached out
to Azerbaijan after the collapse of the USSR. But if the political
leaders of Azerbaijan believe that they are so rich and independent
and there is no need to consider the interests of the West and America,
then they can go their own way.
"However, this is a relatively small country caught in the midst
between Iran and Russia, and there may come a time when it will have
a need for strong friends. And then it will turn out that it does
not have such friends," concluded Merry.
http://www.panorama.am/en/politics/2015/02/03/wayne-merry/
18:41 03/02/2015 >> POLITICS
The strategic importance of Azerbaijan for the United States
is reduced, and the official Baku does not show much interest in
strengthening relations with the United States, Wayne Merry, the Senior
Fellow for Europe and Eurasia at the American Foreign Policy Council,
stated during an interview with the "Voice of America," Azerbaijani
information agency "Turan" reports.
"From the side it is difficult to characterize the motives of those
who determine the policy in Baku. But the fact is that in recent
months Azerbaijan has more and more refused to show even minimal
respect for the feelings of America and has resorted to such steps
that irritate not only the US government and President Obama, but
also important people in Congress. Maybe in Baku they do not attach
importance to this, because they are always talking about how important
Azerbaijan is, etc. But for such power as the United States discontent
accumulates, and at some point it's time to "off the account." The
United States attaches great importance to Azerbaijan as a transit
point in the northern transportation network to Afghanistan.
However, due to the reduction of America's role in Afghanistan the
role of Azerbaijan is also reducing. Amid growing tensions in the US
relations with Russia, the value of what is happening in the regions
of the Black Sea, the Caucasus and the Caspian Sea is moving to the
background for Washington.
In my opinion, the day will come when the US will see less importance
of Azerbaijan for Washington than it now seems," the expert noted
answering the question whether there was a link between the crackdowns
on the civil society activists in Azerbaijan and the US-funded
offices in Baku, and the possible reorientation of Baku's foreign
policy towards rapprochement with Russia.
As a response to the question about the importance of the West for
Azerbaijan, Merry said that the growing oil revenues in Azerbaijan
in recent years have opened the way for large-scale corruption and
corrosion, the article states. On the other hand, Azerbaijan's
President Ilham Aliyev and his entourage deal with the internal
situation and increasingly lose their view of the outside world.
"Finally, at the global level Azerbaijan considers itself an extremely
important player, though, in the priorities of the West and the US,
it has no such significance. US should clarify to Azerbaijan that,
in comparison with what was 5-10 years ago, the role of Azerbaijan
in the priorities of America is not so great. The changing energy
market and reduction of America's military presence in Afghanistan
belittle its role. This trend will probably continue to fall and the
importance of Azerbaijan will fall, too," he stressed.
The expert also noted that if Azerbaijan wants to withdraw from
a course on authoritarianism based on the power of oil, then yes,
it needs the West. It is for this reason that the West reached out
to Azerbaijan after the collapse of the USSR. But if the political
leaders of Azerbaijan believe that they are so rich and independent
and there is no need to consider the interests of the West and America,
then they can go their own way.
"However, this is a relatively small country caught in the midst
between Iran and Russia, and there may come a time when it will have
a need for strong friends. And then it will turn out that it does
not have such friends," concluded Merry.
http://www.panorama.am/en/politics/2015/02/03/wayne-merry/