Foreign

Home page

Foreign

Influential member of the Congressional caucus on Armenian Issues to replace the current Chairman of the Subcommittee on Europe Congressman Robert Wexler, member of House Caucus on Azerbaijan

03 December 2009 15:34 (UTC +04:00)

Washington â€“ APA. A member of the Congressional caucus on Armenian issues, known as close friend of Armenian Diaspora Bill Delahunt is going to replace Congressman Robert Wexler at the position of Chairman of the Subcommittee on Europe; APAâ€™s Washington DC correspondent was informed at R.Wexlerâ€™s office.
Congressman Robert Wexler is currently serving as a Chairman of the Subcommittee on Europe and a senior member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee and the Co-Chairman of the Congressional Turkey Caucus, also member of House Caucus on Azerbaijan.
Wexlerâ€™s office informs that Congressman is leaving the Congress and is accepting a position as President of the Center for Middle East Peace.
Members of Azerbaijani Diaspora express their disappointment about the replacement.
â€œThis appointment is against Azerbaijan, Turkey and it will be clear quite soonâ€, told APAâ€™s Washington correspondent Ismail Hamidov, American Azerbaijani.
He pointed out that Mr. Wexler always preventing Armenians provocations against Turkey and Azerbaijan in Congress. Azerbaijani Diaspora representatives remind that the new Chairman Bill Delahunt has consistently supported Armenian issues, having co-sponsored the Armenian Genocide Resolution.

Mr. Hamidov says that the Armenian Diaspora will raise the â€œgenocideâ€ again, and Congressman Delahunt will be lobbying their interests using his new position: â€œThe Armenians already applied to Congress and raised the issue. The replacement of Mr. Wexler on pro-Armenian Congressman is very crucial at this very moment, because if the â€œgenocideâ€ issue passes the Foreign Affairs Committee, it will be strengthened even moreâ€.

Hamidov is also pointing out that Congressman Wexler is not only leaving the Committee, but the Congress on the whole: â€œThis means that now there will be minus one Azerbaijan and Turkey supporter in the US Congressâ€

Mr. Wexler is known in Congress as active public person who is also on the list of the best 50 Congress members.
Originally Jewish attorney from New York Mr. Wexler joint the Congress in 1997.
This year he along with Pennsylvania Republican Bill Shuster, has introduced H.R. 2742 (A bill to authorize the extension of nondiscriminatory treatment (normal trade relations treatment) to the products of Azerbaijan.

He is an also author of Eurasia Foundation Act in Congress which supported additional 15 million dollars assistance for Post-Soviet countries, including Azerbaijan, fiscal year 2008 and 2009.