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Senator Sam Brownback: â€œWe shouldnâ€™t take actions which are hurtful towards Azerbaijanâ€

08 July 2009 07:54 (UTC +04:00)

Samuel Dale Brownback is the senior United States Senator from the U.S. state of Kansas. He developed Silk Road Strategy in 1999 while being a chairman of the Subcommittee on Middle East and South Asia of the Senate Committee for Foreign Relations and played important role in the adoption of this strategy, which deepened relations of the United States with Azerbaijan and other countries.

- The Houseâ€™s subcommittee on state, foreign operations and related programs has allocated 10 million dollars as a direct financial aid to unrecognized Nagorno-Karabakh Republic. Now, the bill will be discussed in the same subcommittee at the Senate. As I member of Appropriation Committee which oversees that subcommittee, are you planning to explain your colleges that this decision can damage the relation with ally Azerbaijan?

- I would really hope people recognize the importance of Azerbaijan as key and strategic ally, major oil producing country and the one which we shouldnâ€™t take actions which are hurtful towards it. I would hope that those points will come out during discussions as the bill is considered.

- Azerbaijan is important not only because oil but because of the support it provides to the USA military in Afghanistan as a vital transit routeâ€¦.

- It is also important to us because of Iran. A third of Iranians are Azeris. Even the main opposition figure, Mr. Mousavi is Azeri. So these things, I would hope, more notice up. We will look what we could do to get a clear picture to others about the situation in Azerbaijan and importance of doing things appropriate for a strong ally.

- Do you know that the Parliament of Azerbaijan has adopted a special resolution condemning the action of the House?

- No, I donâ€™t know that.