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US Assistant Secretary of State makes comments on Azerbaijanâ€™s postponement of joint military exercises

23 April 2010 08:11 (UTC +04:00)

â€œThe United States considers Azerbaijan a valuable partner on a broad range of security issues. As to Azerbaijanâ€™s intentions, we refer those questions to the Azeri Government. On the subject of military exercise, thatâ€™s more of a DOD matter. But we will continue to work in the Minsk process along with Russia, France, as the three OSCE co-chairs work with the parties â€“ Armenia and Azerbaijan â€“ to seek a long-term resolution to the Nagorno Karabakh conflictâ€.

Answering the question â€œAre you concerned about the possibility that Iranian influence in Azerbaijan might have played a role in their decision to postpone this exercise?â€ Crowley said: â€œIâ€™ll take the broader question of any concerns that we have about Iranian influence in Azerbaijan. I have no indication that that â€“ that this was anything but a decision by Azerbaijanâ€.