Baku to protest House panel decision during Clinton’s visit
Azerbaijan will state its disapproval during US Secretary of State
Hillary Clinton’s forthcoming visit to Baku with the recent
decision by a US House of Representatives committee to allocate
financial aid to the Armenia-backed separatist regime operating in
Azerbaijan’s occupied Upper (Nagorno) Garabagh region, Vice-Speaker
Bahar Muradova has said.
Muradova told the press Friday that Baku has always been a vocal critic of the United States’ allotting financial aid to the separatist regime, as the assistance being allocated could be directed to supporting separatism. There are numerous facts to substantiate this conclusion, she said.
"Even if the assistance is provided for humanitarian purposes, given that Upper (Nagorno) Garabagh is an integral part of Azerbaijan, such assistance should be sent there through Azerbaijan."
The House Appropriations Committee, which is in charge of endorsing the next year’s budget, has reportedly designated assistance worth $10 million to the self-proclaimed republic. Also, the U.S. plans to allocate $44 million to Armenia in 2011. Military assistance to Azerbaijan and Armenia each was set at $3.5m.
The vice-speaker also condemned Azerbaijani opposition parties’ plans to hold an unauthorized protest in the capital Baku on the day of Clinton’s visit.
Opposition parties included in the Azadlig bloc and Musavat party have applied to the mayor’s office for authorization to hold a protest on Sunday, but the request has been declined. But the opposition insisted it would go ahead and protest downtown Baku despite the decision.
Muradova noted that Azerbaijan "was not building a democratic society to show it off to anyone". The country’s opposition, however, by taking such steps, is trying to show others – by all means available - that there is no democracy in Azerbaijan and that human rights are being violated here, Muradova said.
"By holding an unsanctioned public action, they want Hillary Clinton to form an opinion that freedom of assembly is being curtailed in Azerbaijan."*
Muradova told the press Friday that Baku has always been a vocal critic of the United States’ allotting financial aid to the separatist regime, as the assistance being allocated could be directed to supporting separatism. There are numerous facts to substantiate this conclusion, she said.
"Even if the assistance is provided for humanitarian purposes, given that Upper (Nagorno) Garabagh is an integral part of Azerbaijan, such assistance should be sent there through Azerbaijan."
The House Appropriations Committee, which is in charge of endorsing the next year’s budget, has reportedly designated assistance worth $10 million to the self-proclaimed republic. Also, the U.S. plans to allocate $44 million to Armenia in 2011. Military assistance to Azerbaijan and Armenia each was set at $3.5m.
The vice-speaker also condemned Azerbaijani opposition parties’ plans to hold an unauthorized protest in the capital Baku on the day of Clinton’s visit.
Opposition parties included in the Azadlig bloc and Musavat party have applied to the mayor’s office for authorization to hold a protest on Sunday, but the request has been declined. But the opposition insisted it would go ahead and protest downtown Baku despite the decision.
Muradova noted that Azerbaijan "was not building a democratic society to show it off to anyone". The country’s opposition, however, by taking such steps, is trying to show others – by all means available - that there is no democracy in Azerbaijan and that human rights are being violated here, Muradova said.
"By holding an unsanctioned public action, they want Hillary Clinton to form an opinion that freedom of assembly is being curtailed in Azerbaijan."*
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