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  • BAKU: Azeri TV Accuses US Envoy Of Making Irresponsible Statements O

    AZERI TV ACCUSES US ENVOY OF MAKING IRRESPONSIBLE STATEMENTS ON KARABAKH

    Lider TV, Baku
    30 May 04

    A commercial Azerbaijani TV channel has accused the US ambassador of
    making inconsistent statements on the unrecognized Nagornyy Karabakh
    Republic and on the role of US companies in Karabakh's economy. As
    part of its weekly analytical programme "167th hour", broadcast on
    30 May, Lider TV looked at some of the ambassador's remarks and named
    US companies which it said were active in Karabakh.

    Introducing the topic, the presenter said, "And now we would like to
    show you an analysis of how and why the US ambassador to Azerbaijan,
    Reno Harnish, is making contradictory statements."

    A correspondent's report followed over video of the US embassy
    compound. "The US ambassador extraordinary and plenipotentiary to
    Azerbaijan, Reno Harnish, has been creating truly extraordinary
    situations recently," the correspondent said. "Diplomats are usually
    noted for not saying what they actually think, but this is true of
    situations when at issue are the national interests of the state they
    represent. In the case of Reno Harnish it is the other way round,
    as the scandalous and inconsistent statements he has recently made
    have discredited not only him, but also his country. A professional
    diplomat should at least be able not to create such tension and
    misunderstandings. For instance, let's recall his answer to the
    question about the work of US companies in Nagornyy Karabakh."

    A clip was then shown of Reno Harnish speaking to microphone in
    English, with an Azeri voice-over. "The United States government
    believes in free trade," the ambassador said. "We do not believe in
    applying trade restrictions on any country."

    The correspondent continued: "Not only does Harnish support economic
    relations with Karabakh, it even appears from his words that he
    considers the self-styled entity to be an independent state. He goes
    on to say that no sanctions will be applied against the companies
    cooperating with Karabakh. According to the ambassador, the sanctions
    should have been applied against Azerbaijan. In other words, Harnish
    considers that a country which is recognized all over the world and is
    a member of most of the international organizations, including the UN,
    is equal in status to a separatist entity which is not recognized by
    anyone in the world. No other US ambassadors have made such illogical
    statements since the establishment of the US embassy in Azerbaijan.

    "But the lack of logic does not end here. When the ambassador was
    asked immediately after all these statements whether he recognized
    Azerbaijan's territorial integrity after all, he said there was no
    point in discussing politics. It seems, doesn't it, that the support
    for Nagornyy Karabakh on the part of American companies is more of an
    economic issue, while the expression of an attitude to Azerbaijan's
    territorial integrity is a political matter.

    "Quite naturally, this position of the head of the US diplomatic
    mission in Azerbaijan has caused profound public outrage in
    the country. The issue was even brought up in the Milli Maclis
    (parliament). And after all this, Reno Harnish denied having said
    anything to this effect at a meeting with students of Baku State
    University."

    Another clip shows Harnish, speaking to camera, again with an Azeri
    voice-over: "The United States does not support or encourage investment
    or trade in Nagornyy Karabakh. I would like to emphasize again that
    whether the issue is raised by Parliament Speaker Murtuz Alasgarov
    or by others, the gist of the issue is that the USA does not have or
    support any investment in Nagornyy Karabakh."

    "Apparently, the statements made by Harnish were either nothing but
    a collective hallucination of journalists, or the ambassador has a
    short memory," the correspondent said. "A normal diplomat representing
    a superstate such as the United States of America cannot and must
    not make such irresponsible and contradictory statements, not least
    because any careless statement by a representative of a superpower
    is capable of undermining all the ongoing processes. It is highly
    unlikely that Harnish is unaware of that. If so, then how can his
    actions be explained? Maybe the fact that he used to lead the State
    Department's political and economic programmes in Central Asia and
    then worked as environment, science and technology counsellor in Rome
    has overshadowed his diplomatic skills. Or maybe the ambassador, who
    came to Baku directly from Kosovo, got so carried away by his previous
    mission that he cannot distinguish between Karabakh and Kosovo."

    Another correspondent's report then looked into companies cooperating
    with the separatist Karabakh regime. These include the Karabakh Telecom
    mobile communication operator, which maintains roaming cooperation
    with 65 companies in 43 countries worldwide.

    The presenter than interviewed the director of the international
    strategic research centre in Azerbaijan, Rovsan Novruzoglu. Novruzoglu
    said that US companies had invested in gold mining, the timber industry
    and carpet-weaving in Karabakh.
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