Interview Ismail Ahmadov, chief of the Azerbaijani-American cultural alliance in Houston.
Q: What has prompted the need to create the organization you head?
A: Our organization has been created just recently, in particular, in March 2009 at the initiative of Azerbaijanis residing in Houston. Our organization covers not only Houston or Texas. Our aim is to expand the activity of the organization throughout the United States. Definite steps are taken for this purpose, in particular, in some time we are planning to establish the affiliate of our alliance in Dallas where over 50 Azerbaijani families live. We are going to attract these families to our events held to promote Azerbaijani culture in the United States.
Q: Which category of local population does your organization work with?
A: Despite the fact that the name of the alliance involves cooperation between Azerbaijan and the United States in the cultural field, we intend to attract migrants from all the Turkic-speaking states to our events and activity. Certainly, the activities carried out by us also involve indigenous residents of the USA in order to create a positive image of Azerbaijan among Americans, and promote the truth about Azerbaijan.
Q: Which events to you hold to expand activity of the alliance?
A: We, along with the Turkic diaspora organizations, are trying to arrange meetings with congressmen, elected from Texas. In addition, in order to expand and strengthen the activities we are planning to build a separate office for our organization since the current office does not meet the necessary requirements. We need such an office to ensure that we could hold meetings and various cultural events. We have already received a positive response from the authorities related to the construction of the office. Therefore, I believe that we can build a cultural center if we get support.
Q: Do you maintain contacts with other diaspora organizations of Azerbaijan?
A: We maintain ties with US Azeris Network (USAN) in conducting events, in particular, in actions, devoted to tragic events in Khojaly. In addition, we maintain ties with the nongovernmental organization of Baku-Houston twin sisters.
Q: How do you build the work in maintaining ties with Turkic diaspora organizations?
A: Our organization maintains close ties with the Turkic diaspora organizations. In addition, we, together with Turkic organizations, attended the protest actions during the discussions of the draft resolution on the so-called ‘Armenian genocide’ in the US Congress in April 2010. We will do everything possible to avert the adoption of this document.
Q: How do you assess the capacities of the Armenian diaspora in the United States?
A: I can say that the Armenian diaspora in the United States is weakening. This process occurs as the Azerbaijani diaspora is strengthening. The influence of the Armenian diaspora in the United States is not equally spread throughout the country. For example, it is not strong in Texas which cannot be attributed to California. In this state the Armenian diaspora is relatively strong. However, the Azerbaijani diaspora is growing stronger every year and this tendency is observed in California. I believe that the Armenian diaspora will further weaken since Azerbaijani and Turkish diasporas begin working together.
Leyla Tagiyeva
News.Az
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