Voice of America
April 29 2006

Bush and Aliyev Discuss Oil and Democracy
By Scott Stearns
Washington
28 April 2006

Azerbaijan President Ilham Aliyev (left) with President Bush
President Bush welcomed the leader of Azerbaijan to the White House
for talks Friday about democratic reforms and energy supplies.

The former Soviet republic has substantial oil and natural gas
reserves that the Bush Administration sees as central to reducing
European dependence on Russian supplies. Azerbaijan has also been an
important Muslim ally in the fight against terrorism, with troops in
Iraq and Afghanistan.

But the nation also has human rights and governance issues, with the
U.S. State Department saying President Ilham Aliyev’s administration
engages in corruption, political repression, and mistreatment of
prisoners.

President Bush sought to address both sides of that relationship in
his Oval Office meeting with President Aliyev, thanking him for
supporting U.S. military operations while pushing for further
democratic reforms at home. “We talked about the need for the world
to see a modern Muslim country that is able to provide for its
citizens, that understands that democracy is the wave of the future,
and I appreciate your leadership, Mr. President,” he said.

President Aliyev has been waiting for this White House meeting since
his widely criticized 2003 election. He denies allegations of
corruption and vows to continue reforming Azerbaijani politics. “I
consider this instrumental in the future development of Azerbaijan as
a modern, secular, democratic country. We share the same values. We
are grateful for United States assistance in promotion of political
process, process of democratization of our society and very committed
to continue that cooperation in the future,” he said.

Energy was also on the agenda. A 17-hundred-kilometer long pipeline
from the Caspian Sea through Georgia and Turkey is expected to bring
millions of barrels of Azerbaijani crude oil to market when it comes
on line later this year.

President Bush says Azerbaijan has a very important role to play in
helping the world achieve energy security.

President Aliyev thanked the U.S. leader for his support. “We are
very grateful for the leadership of the United States in promotion of
the energy security issues in the region, in assisting us to create a
solid transportation infrastructure which will allow for the
development of full-scale Caspian oil and gas reserves and deliver
them to the international markets,” he said.

President Aliyev said the men also discussed the disputed region of
Nagorno-Karabakh, which has been controlled for more than 10 years by
its majority ethnic-Armenian population.