AZERBAIJAN SOCIETY OF AMERICA TO APPEAL TO US CONGRESS

Azeri Press Agency, Azerbaijan
April 2 2007

Society of American Azerbaijanis is going to appeal to all members of
US Congress Subcommittee on State, Foreign Operations, And Related
Programs with regard to showing Azerbaijan’s role in the South
Caucasus and proving it to be US ally, ASA president Tomris Azeri
told the APA US bureau.

The appeal will particularly underline that Azerbaijan is the
only Muslim country to support the US’s antiterrorism operations,
which is actively participating in peacekeeping operations in
Kosovo, Afghanistan and Iraq, and is important regional ally and
alternative energy supplier for the US and Europe. The appeal will
ask the subcommittee to create conditions for Azerbaijani community
to participate in the debates concerning financial aid to the South
Caucasian countries in 2008 budget year.

US Armenian community appealed to the subcommittee during the debates
on March 29. The community demanded allocating $75m to Armenia and
$10m to Nagorno Karabakh. It also demanded allocating equal amount
of ($4.3m) military aid to Armenia and Azerbaijan and extra 1$m to
the training of Armenian army. Bryan Ardouny, Executive Director,
Armenian Assembly of America tried to persuade the members of the
subcommittee that Armenia was blockaded by Azerbaijan and Turkey. He
also said that Azerbaijan’s military budget is equal to Armenian
state budget. Ardouny called on to apply the section 907 to Freedom
Support Act against Azerbaijan and influence on Turkish government
for opening Kars-Gumru railway.

The sources in the Congress told the APA’s bureau that out of 15
members of the subcommittee attended the meeting where Armenians
expressed their proposals and protests.

The co-author of Armenian genocide resolution is congressman from
California Adam Schiff, one of the members of the US Congress
Subcommittee on State, Foreign Operations and Related Programs.