Agency WPS
DEFENSE and SECURITY (Russia)
October 13, 2004, Wednesday

WASHINGTON PUNISHES ALIYEV

SOURCE: Nezavisimaya Gazeta, October 11, 2004, p. 10

by Rauf Mirkadyrov

WASHINGTON DECIDED TO MINIMIZE CONTACTS WITH THE AUTHORITIES OF
AZERBAIJAN

US Senate voted for $38 million of assistance to Azerbaijan in 2005.
Armenia will get $75 million or $10 more than what the House of
Representative endorsed. At first, the White House had planned more
or less equal financial assistance to both.

A source in the US Department of State says that official Washington
is disappointed in official Baku. The former is under the impression
that the latter is playing with the United States and Russia at the
same time. Washington believes that by “ruining” its NATO exercises
in Azerbaijan, official Baku demonstrated its loyalty to Russia which
is notorious loath of having exercises like that close to its
borders. Washington thinks therefore that Baku offended it in the
eyes of the international community. After all, it is the United
States that is the major lobbyist of countries of the southern part
of the Caucasus in international affairs.

Translated by A. Ignatkin