05/24/10 - Remarks submitted for the Congressional Record - Madam Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join me in honoring the Republic of Azerbaijan in celebration of the 92nd anniversary of Republic Day on May 28.

Located in a geopolitically dynamic region between Europe and Asia and sandwiched between Russia and Iran, Azerbaijan is a secular county with a predominantly Muslim population that has also been home for more than a millennia for vibrant Christian and Jewish communities.

Azerbaijan first gained independence in 1918, which led to an explosion of the arts, education, and economic growth. That independence was suspended in 1920 by Soviet invasion, not to be restored until 1991 with the fall of the Soviet Union.

Azerbaijan has opened Caspian energy resources to development by U.S. companies and has emerged as a key player for global energy security. The Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan pipeline project, supported by both the Clinton and George W. Bush administrations, is the most successful project contributing to the development of the South Caucasus region and has become the main artery delivering Caspian Sea hydrocarbons to the United States and our partners in Europe. Notably, in 2009 Azerbaijan provided nearly one-quarter of all crude oil supplies to Israel and is considered a leading potential natural gas provider for the U.S. supported Nabucco pipeline.

On the security front, immediately after 9/11 Azerbaijan was among the first to offer strong support and assistance to the United States. Azerbaijan participated in operations in Kosovo and Iraq and is actively engaged in Afghanistan, having recently doubled its military presence there. Azerbaijan has extended important over-flight clearances for U.S. and NATO flights to support ISAF and has regularly provided landing and refueling operations at its airports for U.S. and NATO forces. Also, Azerbaijan plays an important role in the Northern Distribution Network, a supply route to Afghanistan by making available its ground and Caspian naval transportation facilities.

Additionally, Azerbaijan provides specialized training for Afghan police, border guard officers and de-miners, education and training of Afghan civilian and military medical doctors, and medical treatment of Afghan citizens at Azeri hospitals. Azerbaijan has provided medical equipment and supplies to Afghanistan as well as assisting in the construction of schools and hospitals there.

Azerbaijan remains a reliable partner of NATO and the EU in the South Caucasus through its consistent and effective contribution to common goals and objectives. Azerbaijan is also an active partner of the United States in efforts regarding the nonproliferation of weapons of mass destruction through its participation in programs such as Caspian Guard and Cooperative Threat Reduction.

Against this backdrop, Section 907 of the Freedom Support Act of 1992, which prohibits direct U.S. government assistance to Azerbaijan, remains a serious obstacle to expanding the strategic partnership between our two countries and is contrary to U.S. national interest in the region. Furthermore, the absence of a U.S. Ambassador to Baku since July 2009 creates unnecessary uncertainties. Finally, as one of the cochairs of the OSCE Minsk Group charged with resolving the Armenia-Azerbaijan Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, the United States must engage more actively in mediation efforts, as is the case with Moscow and Paris.

Regarding the Armenia-Azerbaijan Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, I applaud the European Parliament for adopting a resolution on May 20, 2010 urging the EU to pursue a strategy in the South Caucasus to promote stability, prosperity, and conflict resolution and demanding ?the withdrawal of Armenian forces from all occupied territories of Azerbaijan, accompanied by deployment of international forces to be organized with respect of the UN Charter in order to provide the necessary security guarantees in a period of transition, which will ensure the security of the population of Nagorno-Karabakh and allow the displaced persons to return to their homes and further conflicts caused by homelessness to be prevented.?

Again, as the Cochairman of the Congressional Azerbaijan Caucus, it is my distinct pleasure to honor the Republic of Azerbaijan in celebration of the 92th anniversary of Republic Day and to recognize the valuable bilateral relationship between the United States and Azerbaijan. I also encourage my colleagues who are interested in supporting Azerbaijan to join me as a member of the Congressional Azerbaijan Caucus.

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4/6/2010 - Allison Shulman of the Dickstein Shapiro, LLP emailed Stephen Martinko Dear Colleague.

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4/9/2010 - Michael Messmer of the Gephardt Group Government Affairs, LLC emailed Stephen Martinko (Legislative Director) regarding Caucus letter to Speaker re:H.Res.252.

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