WASHINGTON – BAKU RELATIONS
By Semih Idiz
Turkish Press
March 13 2006
MILLIYET- Possible US plans to invade Iran have raised Azerbaijan’s
strategic importance for Washington. This situation is infuriating
Yerevan and the Armenian lobby, because their hopes for turning
the anti-Turkish wind – raised over such factors as Hamas’ visit
to Ankara and the anti-American film ‘Valley of the Wolves Iraq’ –
into an advantage in the US Congress are now fading. The Azerbaijani
people reject the so-called Armenian claims as much as Turks do. In
short, the Bush administration knows that an Armenian “genocide”
resolution would make not only Turks, but also Azerbaijanis angry.
Therefore, the possibility that April 24 will be declared ‘Armenian
genocide commemoration day’ in the US seems to be weak this year
as well. This time the tide is working against the Armenians due
to Iran. Meanwhile, the US administration is taking certain steps
pleasing Azerbaijanis and Ankara even at the cost of making Armenians
angry. I can give two examples:
1. Washington is preparing to bring home its Ambassador to Yerevan John
Marshall Evans before his term of office ends, because, speaking to
US Armenians last year in California, Evans said that he would call
the incidents of 1915 a genocide, no matter what other people call
them. This incident made the Azerbaijanis very angry. Meanwhile,
this made the US angry, too, because it contradicts its current
policy. Firstly, it forced Evans to say that these words were
only his personal opinion and then prevented the American Foreign
Service Association (AFSA) from giving him an order of merit. Now
it’s preparing to send US Ambassador to Tajikistan Richart Hoagland
to replace him.
2. The US administration is moving to water down a law which was
passed by Congress under the pressure of the Armenian lobby. This
law envisages a balance in US military aid extended to Armenia and
Azerbaijan. Azerbaijan’s strategic importance, which rose after Sept.
11, has actually caused this balance to spoil.
The administration wants Congress’ approval so more military aid is
sent to Azerbaijan than Armenia. In addition, Washington started to
make its importance felt more for a solution of the Montenegro issue.
It sent Deputy Secretary of State Matt Bryza to the region last
week and it will send Assistant Secretary of State for European and
Eurasian Affairs Daniel Fried this week. This liveliness of course
increases Armenians’ suspicions. Meanwhile, Scott Ritter, former
weapons inspector of the United Nations, explained Azerbaijan’s
importance for the US in terms of the Iran issue in an article
on aljazeera.net. According to Ritter, Washington is preparing
Azerbaijan for a possible military operation against the regime in
Tehran. Meanwhile, it’s also watching the population of northern Iran,
which consists mostly of ethnic Azerbaijanis. We can’t know if Ritter
is right on this issue. However, it’s true that military relations
between the US and Azerbaijan have developed rapidly. This situation
provides Turkey with an important ‘strengthening’ element against
the Armenian lobby in the US.