New Board Chairman appointed to Azerbaijan America Alliance
By Gulgiz Dadashova
Former Congressman Dan Burton of Indiana was appointed as the new Chairman of the Board of the Azerbaijan America Alliance (AAA), a leading non-profit group promoting cultural and political relationships between the people of Azerbaijan and the people of America.
"The Azerbaijan America Alliance is very proud to attract such a prominent foreign affairs figure to lead the organization," AAA Founder Anar Mammadov said. "Mr. Burton has not only decades of experience in U.S. foreign relations, but he is a friend to many international leaders. Mr. Burton`s interactions and experience with Azerbaijan make him the perfect leader of the Azerbaijan America Alliance".
Commenting on his new position, Burton said that he is honored to be appointed Chairman of the Azerbaijan America Alliance. "I also want to thank the Founder of the Alliance, Anar Mammadov, for his confidence in me. The friendship between our countries is very important and I shall work hard to make it even stronger," he noted.
The alliance reported that Burton`s decades of service in the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Foreign Affairs makes him uniquely qualified to lead the Alliance.
As Chairman of the Subcommittee for Europe and Eurasia Affairs, Burton built strong relationships with the President of Azerbaijan and senior governmental officials while visiting Azerbaijan during his Congressional tenure. In a 2005 speech on the floor of the House of Representatives, Burton was one of the first Members of Congress to honor the Azerbaijani victims of the 1992 Khojaly massacre.
During the years he spent in the U.S. Congress, Mr. Burton was intimately involved in shaping U.S. foreign policy, including policies affecting trade and foreign aid. Mr. Burton has shown great leadership in bringing attention to these issues.
The AAA is a non-partisan, non-profit organization providing critical information about the people, culture, society, industry, history, and current events of the Azeri people. Its mission is to foster an atmosphere of mutual understanding and respect between the people of America and the people of Azerbaijan. Through academic discussion, cultural programming, and political discourse, the Alliance aims to be the premier organization dedicated to promoting a lasting partnership between the peoples of both countries.