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David Allan Harris: Intensified discussions on Georgiaâ€™s and Ukraineâ€™s NATO accession are very crucial for Azerbaijan

16 August 2008 10:39 (UTC +04:00)

â€œAs your friends, we will try to do something for this but it mostly depends on Azerbaijan itself. Americans shouldnâ€™t only know Azerbaijan as an energy-rich country but also as a country that made important contributions to peacekeeping efforts in Iraq and Afghanistan,â€ he said, adding that Azerbaijan is a model of religious tolerance.
David Allen Harris, who met with Azeri President Ilham Aliyev, Premier Artur Rasizade, other senior officials and religious figures during his visit, promised to take steps towards the strengthening of relations between Azerbaijan and the United States.
Asked by the APAâ€™s correspondent â€œWhat will you do for thisâ€, he replied that they will work for the complete termination of Section 907 of the Freedom Support Act, the increase of attention onto the OSCE Minsk Groupâ€™s efforts on the settlement of Nagorno Karabakh conflict and increasing awareness about Azerbaijan in the United States.
Asked why the US Congress maintains parity in assistance to the aggressor (Armenia) and the victim of aggression (Azerbaijan), David Allen Harris recommended waiting until the new government is formed.
He said Nagorno Karabakh is the number one issue for Azerbaijan.
â€œAfter the new government is formed, the hotspots in various parts of the world will compete to draw the attention of the US government,â€ he underscored.
He added that recent happenings in Georgia will draw attention to the region and intensified discussions on Georgiaâ€™s and Ukraineâ€™s NATO accessions are very important factors for Azerbaijan and its territorial integrity.