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WORRIED BY AFGHAN WAR, U.S. SEEKS TO EASE STRAINS WITH BAKU
DefenseNews.com
June 7 2010
Agence France-Presse
ABOARD A U.S. MILITARY AIRCRAFT - U.S. President Barack Obama has
promised Azerbaijan that Washington will treat its dispute with
Armenia as a top priority, in a letter that officials released Monday.
Seeking to shore up ties with a crucial ally in the Afghan war,
Defense Secretary Robert Gates on Sunday hand-delivered the letter
to President Ilham Aliyev.
Obama wrote that a peaceful resolution to Baku's dispute with Armenia
over the Nagorny Karabakh region was vital for the stability of the
South Caucasus region.
"Support for this outcome will remain a priority for the United
States," the letter said, according to a copy provided to reporters.
Obama acknowledged some strain in U.S. relations with Azerbaijan,
which has complained that the administration had neglected Baku's
concerns despite its key link in supply lines for Afghanistan.
"I am aware of the fact that there are serious issues in our
relationship, but I am confident that we can address them," wrote
Obama, who also promised more high level US visits in the future.
After his talks with Aliyev, Gates expressed gratitude for Baku's
help with the NATO-led war effort by allowing tens of thousands of
aircraft to pass through the country's airspace since 2001.
But Azerbaijan's overarching focus was on its long-running disagreement
with Armenia, Gates told reporters aboard his aircraft bound for
London.
"They're obviously very concerned about the lack of progress on"
Nagorny Karabakh, he said.
"I said I would carry that message back to Secretary (of State Hillary)
Clinton."
Human rights groups have accused the US administration of overlooking
abuses in strategic countries across the Caucasus region - including
Azerbaijan - in its drive to secure supply routes for the NATO-led
mission in Afghanistan.
The United States, along with France and Russia, is a co-chair of
the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe's (OSCE)
Minsk Group, which has been heading international efforts to reach
a permanent resolution to the conflict over Karabakh.
Backed by Yerevan, ethnic Armenian forces seized control of Nagorny
Karabakh and seven surrounding districts from Azerbaijan in the early
1990s, in a war that claimed an estimated 30,000 lives.
DefenseNews.com
June 7 2010
Agence France-Presse
ABOARD A U.S. MILITARY AIRCRAFT - U.S. President Barack Obama has
promised Azerbaijan that Washington will treat its dispute with
Armenia as a top priority, in a letter that officials released Monday.
Seeking to shore up ties with a crucial ally in the Afghan war,
Defense Secretary Robert Gates on Sunday hand-delivered the letter
to President Ilham Aliyev.
Obama wrote that a peaceful resolution to Baku's dispute with Armenia
over the Nagorny Karabakh region was vital for the stability of the
South Caucasus region.
"Support for this outcome will remain a priority for the United
States," the letter said, according to a copy provided to reporters.
Obama acknowledged some strain in U.S. relations with Azerbaijan,
which has complained that the administration had neglected Baku's
concerns despite its key link in supply lines for Afghanistan.
"I am aware of the fact that there are serious issues in our
relationship, but I am confident that we can address them," wrote
Obama, who also promised more high level US visits in the future.
After his talks with Aliyev, Gates expressed gratitude for Baku's
help with the NATO-led war effort by allowing tens of thousands of
aircraft to pass through the country's airspace since 2001.
But Azerbaijan's overarching focus was on its long-running disagreement
with Armenia, Gates told reporters aboard his aircraft bound for
London.
"They're obviously very concerned about the lack of progress on"
Nagorny Karabakh, he said.
"I said I would carry that message back to Secretary (of State Hillary)
Clinton."
Human rights groups have accused the US administration of overlooking
abuses in strategic countries across the Caucasus region - including
Azerbaijan - in its drive to secure supply routes for the NATO-led
mission in Afghanistan.
The United States, along with France and Russia, is a co-chair of
the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe's (OSCE)
Minsk Group, which has been heading international efforts to reach
a permanent resolution to the conflict over Karabakh.
Backed by Yerevan, ethnic Armenian forces seized control of Nagorny
Karabakh and seven surrounding districts from Azerbaijan in the early
1990s, in a war that claimed an estimated 30,000 lives.