Announcement

Collapse
No announcement yet.

Is Azerbaijan Lobbying For U.S. Weapons Sales?

Collapse
X
 
  • Filter
  • Time
  • Show
Clear All
new posts

  • Is Azerbaijan Lobbying For U.S. Weapons Sales?

    IS AZERBAIJAN LOBBYING FOR U.S. WEAPONS SALES?
    by Joshua Kucera

    EurasiaNet.org
    http://www.eurasianet.org/node/64002
    Aug 4 2011
    NY

    That's what a source tells the independent Azerbaijani Turan News
    Agency:

    Recently Azerbaijan again began a serious push to get the US provide
    it with "defense weapons," in particular, air defense and anti-tank
    systems.

    "Azeri lobbyists and their allies in the US capital received a new
    assignment from Baku - target getting American weapons for Azerbaijan",
    the source said.

    "Several years ago, this issue almost defined the US-Azeri
    relationship, but back then, Baku stepped down after understanding
    that they couldn't afford American weaponry on their own", one of
    Azerbaijan's former lobbyists told TURAN's correspondent, adding,
    now, Azeri supporters in Washington are arguing that the oil-reach
    country doesn't need the US to give them the weapons as aid, they
    can buy the weaponry.

    The article goes on to point out that there is little reason to
    believe the U.S. would accede to this. Perhaps most of all, it would
    be against the law, in particular the "Section 907" rules that forbid
    Azerbaijan from buying weapons from the U.S. And there are several
    powerful pro-Armenian members of Congress who would make it very
    difficult to get around that.

    Some Wikileaked cables from 2009 reported that Azerbaijan's president,
    Ilham Aliyev, personally brought up the idea of getting the U.S. to
    allow weapons sales. But if the lobbyists in the U.S. are now working
    on this, that would suggest that this is serious.

    I asked Adil Baigurov of the U.S. Azeris Network, an Azeri-American
    advocacy group, what he thought of the report. He said he didn't know
    if Azerbaijan really was pushing to get U.S. weapons, but that if it
    were, that would be a good idea:

    I think Azerbaijan would be very smart in looking at all options
    and considering U.S. weapons, especially in light of the strategic
    relationship with U.S., NATO aspirations, and interoperability with
    U.S. troops, from special forces to peacekeepers. It should have been
    doing all this for many years. At the same time, I think they are
    mindful that since much of such sales need to be approved by Congress,
    it slows down the process significantly, makes the purchases more
    transparent for the Armenian intelligence, and gives opportunities for
    Armenian lobby to explore via its pro-Armenian members like Pallone
    and Menendez - in same way like they tried to do with the satellite
    deal, or anything that in any way benefits U.S.-Azerbaijan relations.

    So if any Azerbaijan lobbyists got such a request, I don't know, but
    I certainly think it's very smart for Azerbaijan to consider all of
    the options, carefully explore all technologies and systems out there,
    and if it thinks it would benefit from the purchase due to its great
    value, as well as ability to nearly guarantee the sale to go through,
    despite all the noise and fumes created by Armenian lobbyists, then
    they should definitely try to make this happen.

    In any case, there are many advanced weapons produced worldwide, and
    Azerbaijan certainly does not depend, require, or must have, any U.S.
    weapons systems. Cooperation with Israel is going through quite well,
    as is with many other countries, and it's probably cheaper than U.S.
    weapons, not to mention easier and almost immune to Armenian lobby.

    One small thing that seems noteworthy: the Turan report says that
    Azerbaijan is looking for "defensive weapons," in particular air
    defense and anti-tank systems. That happens to be exactly the package
    that Georgia is looking for. Is that because it's what Azerbaijan
    needs? Or because U.S. equipment is particularly good in those areas?

    Or is Baku modeling its lobbying effort after Georgia's, seeing that
    as a politically palatable request?

    Anyway, expect to hear the Armenian lobby groups weigh in on this
    in 3...2...1....



    From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress
Working...
X