Azeri lawmakers call on Obama to veto aid to separatists
Azerbaijani lawmakers have appealed to US President
Barack Obama and Congress over the recent allocation of assistance
worth $8 million to the self-proclaimed Upper (Nagorno) Garabagh
republic for 2010, which has raised eyebrows in Azerbaijan. The
Milli Majlis members expressed hope that the decision would be
vetoed.
The strongly-worded appeal, unanimously adopted in parliament on Tuesday, labeled the allocation of aid to the separatist regime as actual moral support to the Armenian occupation of Azerbaijani territories.
"If this is indeed humanitarian aid, the U.S. should have included that money in the funds provided to Azerbaijan, whose territorial integrity has been recognized. In this case though, Armenia will be at ease and will prolong reaching peace a little further," the statement said.
Upper Garabagh is an Azerbaijani region occupied by Armenia since a 1994 cease-fire ended separatist hostilities that killed an estimated 30,000 people and ousted about one million Azerbaijanis from their homes. Armenia continues to occupy Upper Garabagh and seven other Azerbaijani districts in defiance of international law. Recently, US legislators approved the allocation of financial aid to the separatist regime, though the aid package offered by the Obama administration in May did not include assistance to the self-proclaimed republic. The US embassy in Baku quickly attempted to defuse tension, with its spokesman saying Washington does not recognize a government called "the Upper (Nagorno) Garabagh republic" and that this was humanitarian aid provided for projects like mine clearance being implemented by NGOs.
In conclusion, the Azerbaijani MPs expressed hope that President Obama, who has recently been awarded with the Nobel Peace Prize, would use his veto power to counter the allocation of assistance to the separatist regime.
Parliament Speaker Ogtay Asadov said in his remarks that pro- Armenian congressmen are rejoicing at the decision to allot aid to the self-styled republic and are campaigning with the words "aid has been provided to the second Armenian state."
The speaker also noted that the US Congress has desginated $22 million assistance for Azerbaijan, and the State Department has been instructed to ensure that these funds are not spent for military purposes.
"It is written that the State Department should be responsible for the $22m allocated to Azerbaijan to make sure that Azerbaijan will not spend this money on waging a war. They are allotting $8m to them [the separatist regime] and, moreover, are leveling demands to us. There is no principle of fairness here," Asadov said.
Musa Guliyev, who represents the ruling Yeni Azerbaijan Party (YAP), said the US decision runs counter to all principles of international law. "If the U.S., which recognizes Azerbaijan’s territorial integrity, wants to allocate aid to Upper Garabagh, it has to do so through Azerbaijan."
Another YAP member, Ali Huseynov, the head of the parliamentary committee on legal policy and state building, said that, "regardless of the political stance, the Congress’ decision is a concern for everyone."
"The U.S. itself will be hurt the most by this decision," Huseynov said. "America will lose its image as a reliable mediator [as part of the OSCE Minsk Group brokering settlement to the Armenia-Azerbaijan conflict].
Panah Huseyn, a representative of Musavat, Azerbaijan’s biggest opposition party, concurred with his counterparts. "There is no differences of opinion between the authorities and opposition on the Garabagh issue."*
The strongly-worded appeal, unanimously adopted in parliament on Tuesday, labeled the allocation of aid to the separatist regime as actual moral support to the Armenian occupation of Azerbaijani territories.
"If this is indeed humanitarian aid, the U.S. should have included that money in the funds provided to Azerbaijan, whose territorial integrity has been recognized. In this case though, Armenia will be at ease and will prolong reaching peace a little further," the statement said.
Upper Garabagh is an Azerbaijani region occupied by Armenia since a 1994 cease-fire ended separatist hostilities that killed an estimated 30,000 people and ousted about one million Azerbaijanis from their homes. Armenia continues to occupy Upper Garabagh and seven other Azerbaijani districts in defiance of international law. Recently, US legislators approved the allocation of financial aid to the separatist regime, though the aid package offered by the Obama administration in May did not include assistance to the self-proclaimed republic. The US embassy in Baku quickly attempted to defuse tension, with its spokesman saying Washington does not recognize a government called "the Upper (Nagorno) Garabagh republic" and that this was humanitarian aid provided for projects like mine clearance being implemented by NGOs.
In conclusion, the Azerbaijani MPs expressed hope that President Obama, who has recently been awarded with the Nobel Peace Prize, would use his veto power to counter the allocation of assistance to the separatist regime.
Parliament Speaker Ogtay Asadov said in his remarks that pro- Armenian congressmen are rejoicing at the decision to allot aid to the self-styled republic and are campaigning with the words "aid has been provided to the second Armenian state."
The speaker also noted that the US Congress has desginated $22 million assistance for Azerbaijan, and the State Department has been instructed to ensure that these funds are not spent for military purposes.
"It is written that the State Department should be responsible for the $22m allocated to Azerbaijan to make sure that Azerbaijan will not spend this money on waging a war. They are allotting $8m to them [the separatist regime] and, moreover, are leveling demands to us. There is no principle of fairness here," Asadov said.
Musa Guliyev, who represents the ruling Yeni Azerbaijan Party (YAP), said the US decision runs counter to all principles of international law. "If the U.S., which recognizes Azerbaijan’s territorial integrity, wants to allocate aid to Upper Garabagh, it has to do so through Azerbaijan."
Another YAP member, Ali Huseynov, the head of the parliamentary committee on legal policy and state building, said that, "regardless of the political stance, the Congress’ decision is a concern for everyone."
"The U.S. itself will be hurt the most by this decision," Huseynov said. "America will lose its image as a reliable mediator [as part of the OSCE Minsk Group brokering settlement to the Armenia-Azerbaijan conflict].
Panah Huseyn, a representative of Musavat, Azerbaijan’s biggest opposition party, concurred with his counterparts. "There is no differences of opinion between the authorities and opposition on the Garabagh issue."*
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