Azernews.Az

BAKU – US congressmen have issued a statement assessing their week-long trip to the Czech Republic, Azerbaijan, Georgia, and Afghanistan.

The bipartisan delegation was led by Bill Shuster and Rep. Chris Murphy and included Reps. Sean Duffy, Adam Kinzinger, Cedric Richmond, and Jon Runyan.

"As the Chairman of the House Caucuses on Azerbaijan and Georgia, I have long been an advocate for closer relationship between our nations, and this was a great opportunity to introduce many of my new colleagues on this delegation to our critical strategic allies in Azerbaijan and Georgia for the first time," Congressman Shuster said in a statement posted on his website.

Shuster said the purposes of the visit included visiting the Czech Republic, Azerbaijan and Georgia "to thank them for their support of the United States".

He said the countries have several hundred to a thousand troops in Afghanistan, which is a lot considering the countries’ size.

Congressman Murphy said having an opportunity "to build bridges with these countries" was critical for US national defense, as well as for economic opportunities.

Rep. Richmond, a member of the House Committee on Homeland Security, said developing closer diplomatic relations with Czech Republic, Azerbaijan, Georgia and Afghanistan was important.

"Gaining greater insight from our folks on the ground is critically important as we deliberate our next steps in Afghanistan," he said.

The congressional delegation began their trip abroad in Prague where the group met with Czech officials and discussed bilateral defense policy. The delegation then moved on to Baku, the capital of Azerbaijan, which is a strategic American ally that sits between Russia and Iran. The group met with President Ilham Aliyev, and discussed regional security as well as ways to strengthen democratic institutions in the country.

The delegation’s last stop was Georgia, another key US ally and aspiring NATO member in the Caucasus region. The group visited Georgia’s border with Russia, the site of continued dispute between the two nations and met with Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili.