The ’20th anniversary of Azerbaijan-US Diplomatic Relations: Achievements and Prospects’ conference is underway in Washington.Opening the conference, former Secretary of State of Oklahoma Susan Savage stressed the importance of the event and spoke about how relations had developed between the U.S. and Azerbaijan.As the Azerbaijani delegation told Trend, Azerbaijani Parliamentary Foreign Relations and Inter-parliamentary Relations Committee chairman Samad Seyidov underlined
that the United States and Azerbaijan are true friends and partners. He added that one of the main objectives of the conference is to further boost these relations.
The Senator from Mississippi Roger Wicker said that the two countries also cooperate in energy security and Azerbaijan makes an important contribution to global energy in this regard.
Azerbaijani Ambassador to the U.S. Elin Suleymanov said the conference is being attended by senior U.S. politicians and political figures and expressed his appreciation for the fact that they have accepted the invitation.
According to Suleymanov, the Americans and Azerbaijanis have many similarities, one of them being tolerance.
Suleymanov underlined that over the past 20 years, Azerbaijan has passed a long path of cooperation and stressed that much more has to be done on this path.
Speaking about the importance of the South Caucasus region, Congressman Steve Cohen from Tennessee emphasised that Azerbaijan has become an important U.S. ally in the region.
Louisiana Congressman Bill Cassidy, focusing on energy security issues which form the basis of international security, said that from this point of view, Azerbaijan is of geo-strategic importance.
Later the conference continued with sessions.
Representing the U.S. Administration at the session deputy assistant Secretary of State Eric Rubin stressed that along with the importance of Azerbaijan’s economic successes, democratic reforms are of great importance. He spoke about the progress made in bilateral relations over 20 years and added that the U.S. expects great success in the future.
Deputy Foreign Minister of Azerbaijan and former Azerbaijani Ambassador to the U.S. Hafiz Pashayev stressed that the first years of diplomatic relations between the two countries were accompanied by difficulties. However, he added that he always believed that the bilateral relations would reach today’s high level. Speaking about the economic success of Azerbaijan, Pashayev stressed with appreciation that Azerbaijan has become a state investing in foreign countries.
“The U.S. Congressmen disseminated the ‘shy’ information about the region, where Azerbaijan is situated during the period when this bill was adopted,” the head of the U.S. National Security Council and former deputy assistant Secretary of State David Merkel said in his statement, referring to amendment No 907, throwing a shadow toUS-Azerbaijani relations.
Referring to the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, Merkel stressed the importance of enhancing the effectiveness of the OSCE Minsk Group’s activity and accelerating the conflict settlement.
“Azerbaijan has achieved great success and highlighted the three-fold increase in GDP for the last 20 years, calling it ‘an incredible achievement’,” Heritage Foundation leading expert for Russian and Eurasian Studies and International Energy Policy Ariel Cohen said.
Recalling Azerbaijan’s participation in peacekeeping operations in Iraq and Afghanistan, Cohen stressed the importance of U.S support to Azerbaijan.
“Other big countries show serious interest in the region,” he said. “The U.S. must pay more attention to it given that Azerbaijan is an important country in the region.”
The second session of the conference was dedicated to the energy security of the Caspian basin.
“Earlier the oil factor was at the basis of this policy,” BP’s Director General for International Affairs Greg Saunders added while talking about Azerbaijan’s energy policy. “But today the matter rests in the production and export of gas”.
He added that Azerbaijan plays an important role in the exploration, development and production of new gas fields and gas exports in the current complicated international political terms.
“Azerbaijan has a rich history of oil and gas industry,” SOCAR Vice President Elshad Nasirov said. “The important stages of the global oil industry have been connected with Azerbaijan. The country holds a significant place in the modern system of energy security and raised the prospects of cooperation with the European Community in the field of energy security.”
The third session was entitled ‘Development of tolerance and intercultural dialogue: a model of Azerbaijan.’
Head of the Catholic community of Azerbaijan and the Baku-Caspian diocese and religious community of Mountain Jews spoke of tolerance prevailing in the country and wished these important values, a characteristic of the Azerbaijani people exists forever.
“Azerbaijan pays equal importance to all religions,” head of the Caucasus Muslims Office Sheikhulislam Haji Allahshukur Pashazade said. “I am proud of such an attitude,” he added.
“The talented people of different ethnic backgrounds from all over the world have gathered here due to the tolerance in Azerbaijan,” head of the Euro-Atlantic Center, MP Asim Mollazade said.
The answers to the delegates’ questions were voiced in the end of the event.
Source:http://en.trend.az/news/politics/2019453.html
For more details:http://www.usazconvention.org/
