AZERBAIJAN AWAITING "GOOD NEWS" FROM OBAMA
/PanARMENIAN.Net/
05.08.2009 18:10 GMT+04:00
/PanARMENIAN.Net/ US Azeri and Turkish Diaspora addressed a letter
to US President Barack Obama. "Last year’s war between Georgia and
Russia punctuated the continuous threat to peace and security in
the South Caucasus arising from unresolved territorial conflicts
that have spanned more than two decades since the fall of the Soviet
Union. Recently several Iranian officials openly threatened Azerbaijan
for hosting Israeli President Shimon Peres in Baku. Similarly,
four UN Security Council resolutions demanding that Armenian forces
withdraw and cease the occupation of Azerbaijan lands since 1993 have
achieved little for the displaced one million refugees and IDPs. All
of this adds to the urgency of reaching a sustainable peace based on
the fundamentals of international law and human rights, or, as you
have stated earlier, "a lasting and durable settlement of Nagorno
Karabakh conflict."
"The South Caucasus holds great promise for regional and global
peace and prosperity. Yet the region’s potential has been disrupted
and disabled by two decades of conflict between Armenia and
Azerbaijan. Armenia’s own development has been paralyzed as a result
of self-imposed isolation from major regional projects." "Should
the Armenian leadership demonstrate productive pragmatism, it can
help integrate the nation with the economic and democratic future
of the region securing a peace and prosperity for its people. Such a
future would include open communications and borders, including the
Turkish -Armenian border. A lasting and durable peace would advance
US interests as it provides for lasting stability in a strategically
important region where the United States requires solid friends."
"Therefore, on behalf of the Azerbaijani-American and Turkish-American
communities, we support and encourage your Good Office to intensify US
efforts towards reaching a just peace between Armenia and Azerbaijan
based on UN Security Council resolutions and the Helsinki Final Act
of 1975, and to seize this historic opportunity. While we recognize
the significant pressures that bear from special interests opposed to
peace for a variety of reasons, including nationalist and religious
ones, we hope that America’s vision for South Caucasus is informed by
its national interests and its relationship with strategic partners
in the region."
Letter copy was sent to US Vice President Joseph Biden and Secretary
of State Hillary Clinton, 1news.az reported.