Democratic Azerbaijan
Ïðàî ûáîðà, Azerbaijan
June 30 2006

Hafiz Pashayev: Azerbaijan Won’t Compromise Over Sovereignty and
Territorial Integrity of Azerbaijan
30.06.2006

Several days later the Ambassador of Azerbaijan to the United States,
Hafiz Pashayev will complete his diplomatic mission in this country.
Reportedly AzerTaj, the diplomat stated about it in his speech made
at the Institute of Research of the Central Asia & Caucasus of the
John Hopkins University. In his last speech before the American
community the Ambassador, summarizing his 13-years activity in the
U.S., said that for these years U.S.- Azerbaijan relations made a
great path of development, and Azerbaijan turned to be one of the
countries, presenting an interest for the United States as a
strategic ally. In respect to Azerbaijan the United States pursued
four main political purposes: uphold of Azerbaijan’s independence,
transition period to democracy and market economy, natural resources
development projects and efforts for settlement of the
Azerbaijan-Armenian conflict. Both countries achieved substantial
progress in political field. Noted that "to represent Azerbaijan to
the U.S. is difficult and responsible affair for each diplomat that
particularly concerns Azerbaijan, faced the numerous internal and
external pressures from the beginning of its independency," H.
Pashayev underlined that the most difficult stage of his diplomatic
mission to Washington was to make popular Azerbaijan in the U.S.
Congress, and to raise to awareness of Congressmen unfairness and
wrong of such political step as Amendment 907. Ambassador said: "In
talks with one of the Congressmen from California, he was surprised
with that geographically Azerbaijan does not surround Armenia all
around and if he knew it before, he would not vote for sanctions
against Azerbaijan." The favorable side of the activities due to
Amendment 907 implies that it was lesson for American policy.
Azerbaijani diplomats should have learnt the specifities of the
Congress and complexity of the U.S. political system as soon as
possible. Equally with political talks the Ambassador Hafiz Pashayev
should brought to awareness of the Americans the culture, history,
rich heritage of Azerbaijan, its hopes and expectations.
In his last speech the Ambassador expressed Azerbaijan’s position to
Azerbaijan-Armenian conflict: "Armenia and separatists in
Nagorno-Garabagh should understand that Azerbaijan won’t compromise
over the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Azerbaijan."
H. Pashayev said: "If we do not solve our problems, others will solve
them at the cost of our independence. The people constantly glancing
in past cannot see the future. The Nagorno-Garabagh conflict is a
result of territorial claims and obsolete views. Looking at
successful cooperation of many years between the West and Japan and
Germany, it is difficult to believe that once these allies fought
with each other in cruel war."
In conclusion, Hafiz Pashayev expressed his gratitude to the
Presidents of Azerbaijan who trusted and entrusted him to represent
our country in major center of the world on the important phase.
Very soon H. Pashayev’s book "Racing Uphill" will be published. This
book says views of political struggle conducted for the last 13 years
for the purposes of broad popularization of Azerbaijan in Congress.