BUSH TO RECEIVE ALIYEV TODAY
By Hakob Chakrian
AZG Armenian Daily
28/04/2006
Azerbaijan’s president, Ilham Aliyev, is in Washington this week for
meetings with US government officials, including President George
W. Bush on April 28. On April 27, Turkish Aksam newspaper touched
upon Aliyev’s visit under a headline “Aliyev Leaves For USA to Discuss
Iran.” In the meantime the paper assumes that Nagorno Karabakh issue
is also on the visit agenda.
Today president George Bush will receive his Azerbaijani counterpart
at the White House. Yesterday, Aliyev made a public appearance at
the Washington offices of the Council on Foreign Relations, a policy
research center, and took questions on a variety of issues in front
of an audience of about 200. According to Turkish NTV, Aliyev said
Azerbaijan has been an ally of the United States in Iraq from the
very start.
“We have a bilateral agreement with Iran which clearly says that the
territories of our countries cannot be used for any danger toward
each other,” Aliyev said.
“So it’s very clear, and therefore our relations are regulated by
international treaties,” he said.
Yet, observers in Washington see behind this warm reception hopes in
the US government to get Azerbaijan’s support in probable assault on
Iran. It’s obvious that Aliyev cannot avoid deployment of US troops
on his country’s territory in case of a war.
This means that Aliyev’s previous statement on keeping out of the
war aimed at hiking the price for backing the Americans. It’s hard
to say what will be the result of such speculations. But one thing
is clear: the sides have long odds, and president Aliyev’s reputation
has completely tarnished after the recent parliamentary elections in
the country.