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Executive Director of the American Jewish Committee: â€œWe intend to extend cooperation with Azerbaijani Diasporaâ€

18 August 2008 10:44 (UTC +04:00)

-What impression did you have about Baku and Azerbaijan during your visit?
-It is my first visit to Azerbaijan. I visited on President Ilham Aliyevâ€™s invitation. I met Azerbaijani President at the Davos Energy Summit in Switzerland in January and received invitation there. I saw kindness and rapid economic development in Azerbaijan, which encourage me to be optimist about Azerbaijanâ€™s future.
-Did you meet with Jewish people residing in Azerbaijan?
-I met with Azerbaijani officials and leaders of Muslim, Orthodox, Catholic and Jewish communities as well. It was interesting that the leaders of two Jewish communities â€“ upland and ashkinazi â€“ participated at the meeting. They said that they lived here comfortably and had no problems. Religious tolerance in Azerbaijan is a model for entire world. I would like to especially emphasize that it is very important for our world now.
-Is the Committee you lead working with the Jewish communities in Azerbaijan and assisting them financially?
-We are working not only with the Jewish communities, but other religious communities I mentioned and we have very good relations with them. Our cooperation covers political and diplomatic spheres, but financial assistance is not our job. Other Jewish organizations are doing it.
-Are you cooperating with the Azerbaijani Diaspora in USA?
- We are cooperating with Azerbaijani Diaspora and intending to extend this cooperation. It is within the interests of both sides. An important part of Azerbaijani Diaspora is the Jewish people migrated from Azerbaijan. They play a role of bridge between the two communities.
-Mass grave site was found in Guba, compactly settled by the Jews. According to some reports, there are Jews among those who were buried there. How can your Committee help the research work done in the grave site?
-It is very important to investigate what happened in the history. But we are engaged in politics and diplomacy. Though this is not our sphere, we can support this process to some extent. Unfortunately, Jews were killed in most places of the world. Though over 60 years passed, new names are being included into the list of the Jews killed during World War II.
-What is your opinion of the discussion of the so-called Armenian genocide in Israeli parliament?
-I have no information about it. I would be very much surprised, if you said it was initiated by Israeli government. I will visit Israel next month, I will concern myself with this issue during my visit. I think that the most proper approach is that the Turkish and Armenians should discuss and analyze these events around the table and come to the conclusion.
-How do you assess the recent developments in Georgia? Do they have impact on Azerbaijan? Will it irritate Russia, if Georgia becomes member of NATO?
-The region is witnessing historic event amid happenings in Georgia. Discussions on the membership of Georgia and Ukraine slowed down after Bucharest summit of NATO, but have become urgent now. There is election campaign in the US, discussions on this theme will intensify. It will be discussed on the highest level whether Russia will annex North Ossetia and Abkhazia, Georgia will enter NATO without these territories and whether NATO will accept Georgia without these territories. The recent happenings are important not only for Georgia, but also the whole region, Azerbaijan and its territorial integrity. Azerbaijan is located in the hardest region, it has such neighbors like Iran and Russia. Americaâ€™s position on these happenings is very important for Azerbaijan. The happenings in Iran also are of great importance of Azerbaijan. Election campaign in the US makes the situation more complicated, because few decisions are made during the elections.

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