Azernews.Az

BAKU – Members of the US Congress Bill Shuster and Virginia Foxx made congratulatory speeches on the occasion of the 93rd anniversary of the Azerbaijan Democratic Republic in the House of Representatives, Azerbaijan Embassy to USA said.

Shuster said Azerbaijan is the first country which provided an opportunity for the US companies to develop energy resources of the Caspian Sea and became a key player in the global energy security. "Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan pipeline is the most successful project that contributes to the development of the South Caucasus region and became the main artery for supply of hydrocarbons of the Caspian Sea to the United States and our partners in Europe. In 2009, Azerbaijan delivered a quarter of all crude oil supply to Israel and is a leading potential supplier of natural gas for the Nabucco pipeline, which is supported by the United States," he added.

In her speech, Virginia Foxx said that Azerbaijan, located in a strategic region between Russia and Iran, as well as between Europe and Asia, is a stable and secular state, and one of the few places in this part of world where Muslims, Jews and Christians live together peacefully. "Over the past 20 years, Azerbaijan has made vast progress and become a key ally of the United States in this strategically important region", she said. "The US-Azerbaijani partnership is based on shared values and common goals, and is a key component of regional security. As the Secretary of Defense Robert Gates said during his recent visit to Azerbaijan, this country provides many-sided support for US and NATO operations in Afghanistan, and is the main link of the Northern Distribution Network, ensuring transit of about 25 percent of land and sea cargo to Afghanistan," she added.

Congressman Bill Shuster is co-chairman of the working group on Azerbaijan of the US Congress, while Virginia Foxx - a member of this group.