Interview with Bedir Memmedli, co-founder and board member of the US Azeris Network (USAN), Washington DC, USA.
Q: How would you describe the current level of Azeri-US relations?
A: Overall, based on my observations, most Americans who are familiar with these relations consider Azerbaijan a strategic partner and ally. If we look at the past 10 to 15 years, we can see that the public perception of Azerbaijan in America has dramatically changed. To average Americans, Azerbaijan is no longer a developing post-Soviet country, struggling to define its own place in the international arena. Instead, to them, Azerbaijan is now a strategic US partner with potential to contribute tremendously towards the American economy and security; a few examples are the supply of energy resources that allows Americans to diversify their energy routes and become less dependent on Arab oil, multimillion contracts in the field of information and communication technology or aircraft building that are contributing to the creation of new jobs, or Azerbaijan’s military support, whether through opening its air space to US military transportation or providing troops in Iraq and Afghanistan as part of NATO’s peacekeeping operations. Regrettably, one obstacle that prevents these relations from reaching the ideal level is the influence of the well-established and powerful Armenian lobby and diaspora that ignore the country’s strategic national interests while advancing the interests of Armenia in the US at the cost of public funds. Recent delays in approving the new US ambassador to Azerbaijan, ongoing financial aid to the Armenian-occupied Karabakh region of Azerbaijan, and the US government’s inability to permanently repeal Section 907 [to the Freedom Support Act, banning US aid to the Azerbaijani government] are continuing to create barriers in relations between two friendly nations. Nevertheless, I strongly believe that the day will come when these barriers will be lifted and US national interests will prevail over special interests.
Q: How damaging to bilateral relations was the delay in appointing a US ambassador?
A: To be honest, the "ambassador problem" created by senators Menendez and Boxer, who rely heavily on the vote and financial contributions of Armenian-Americans, harmed America’s national interests, not Azerbaijan’s. As a result of the senators' abuse of the power of veto, the US government lost its ability to represent the country’s national interests in Azerbaijan, a country that plays a very important role for the US in energy supply and fight against global terrorism. In addition, as a result of this abuse, the American government was temporarily isolated from all the key processes and initiatives taking place in the region. When it comes to Azerbaijan, even though I don’t think this delay caused any long-term damage, what I noticed was that the Azerbaijani public, as well as government, began to doubt America’s ability as a superpower to pursue its own national interests freely without any interference from minority groups who only care about the benefit to their homeland, not their adopted country. However, it is very encouraging that finally President Obama realized the importance of this issue by appointing the ambassador himself, a decision that created considerable discomfort among the Armenian diaspora.
Q: May we expect improvements in US-Azerbaijani and US-Turkish relations after the recent elections to Congress?
A: First of all, I have to emphasize that, just like US-Azerbaijani relations, US-Turkish relations have not always been at thre desired level, again, thanks to the role of the Armenian lobby in US foreign policy-making. My answer to this question is an absolute "yes" for several reasons. First, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, who represents a California district home to very many Armenian-American constituents who have made her an anti-Turkish and anti-Azerbaijani politician, is no longer in charge. Instead, she has been replaced by Congressman John Boehner who is much more independent and objective than Pelosi. This, in turn, makes us believe that Mr Boehner will be more interested in the country’s national interests, rather than the interests of hostile ethnic lobbyists. Besides, Mr Boehner has also been known for his stand against the Armenian "genocide". Second, the US House of Representatives is now dominated by Republicans who are historically friendlier towards Azerbaijan and Turkey and are less willing to sacrifice the country’s strategic interests for the sake of unfriendly ethnic groups. Third, the recent elections brought new independent politicians from both parties who have been outside Armenian influence. The priority of Azerbaijani and Turkish diaspora organizations is to ensure that these "freshmen" politicians become deeply aware of the importance of relations with Azerbaijan and Turkey and serve the country as unbiased and impartial decision makers. This is one reason the US Azeris Network (USAN), the organization that I am proud to represent, has intensified its grassroots efforts after the elections to reach out to these politicians.
Q: Do you believe in imminent progress in the Karabakh settlement?
A: It is very difficult to say when there will be progress, given Armenia’s destructive position, including its ignorance of international laws, continuing settlement in the occupied areas and frequent violations of the ceasefire. Even most prominent experts who are familiar with the conflict and ongoing settlement efforts would have a tough time to answer this question. However, what I believe in most is that sooner or later Azerbaijan’s territorial sovereignty will be restored and the occupied lands will be free from Armenian invaders. The recent referendum on the status of Southern Sudan or Kosovo’s independence showed once more that the international community is capable of distinguishing true independence from the fake or third-party-imposed independence that Armenia is trying to attach to the occupied regions of Azerbaijan. This is a good lesson to Armenia and its diaspora around the world.
Q: What do you think about the US role as a mediator in this process?
A: The US administration could have used its power to put more pressure on Armenia to withdraw its troops from the Azerbaijani territories, but unfortunately this is not happening, despite the fact that the administration has always recognized Azerbaijan’s territorial integrity. This would have been the most peaceful way to resolve this problem and bring permanent stability to the Caucasus. It is time for the mediators to understand that anything that undermines Azerbaijan’s territorial independence will only stretch out this conflict which can blow up at anytime, rendering all these mediation efforts meaningless.
Leyla Tagiyeva
News.Az
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