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US Azeri Diaspora calls White House and Congress to recognize the valuable bilateral relationship between US and Azerbaijan

21 February 2012 09:34 (UTC +04:00)

US Azerbaijani Network-USAN has started a new action campaign by sending the letters to the elected officials to recognize and celebrate the anniversary of US-Azerbaijan diplomatic relations, APAâ€™s correspondent was told.

According to the campaigner, the US recognized the Republic of Azerbaijan on December 25, 1991, while February 19, 2012 is the 20th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between US and Azerbaijan. On March 16, 2012, the US Embassy was opened in Baku.

â€œLocated in a geopolitically dynamic region between Europe and Asia and sandwiched between Russia and Iran, Azerbaijan is a secular county with a predominantly Muslim population that has also been home for more some two millennia to vibrant Christian and Jewish communitiesâ€ note the authors adding, on the security front, immediately after 9/11, Azerbaijan was among the first to offer strong support and assistance to the US.

â€œAzerbaijan participated in operations in Kosovo and Iraq and is actively engaged in Afghanistan, having doubled its military presence there. Azerbaijan has extended important over-flight clearances for US and NATO flights to support ISAF and has regularly provided landing and refueling operations at its airports for US and NATO forcesâ€, read the letters: â€œAlso, Azerbaijan plays an important role in the Northern Distribution Network, a supply route to Afghanistan by making available its ground and Caspian naval transportation facilitiesâ€.

The authors also remind that, Azerbaijan remains a reliable partner of NATO and the EU in the South Caucasus through its consistent and effective contribution to common goals and objectives.

In 2004, the Congressional Azerbaijan Caucus was established in the US Congress. Hundreds of Azerbaijani and Azerbaijani-American businesses have been operating, expanding, hiring and paying taxes in nearly all US states.

The Azerbaijani-American Diaspora is currently estimated at 400,000, and nonprofits like the USAN are working hard to grow the community and lead its integration into the American society.