Azeri government was seeking `easy access` to Trump in Washington. Instead, it lost hotel deal in Baku

Later last week, the Trump Organization announced it has terminated business deals in Azerbaijan in a "housecleaning" move.

The move raised eyebrows among many Caucasus watchers in Washington since it came just a day after Azerbaijan co-hosted a Hanukkah party at Trump D.C. hotel, an attempt that seen by many local observers for gaining access and favor with the incoming Trump administration.

"Although Azerbaijan's involvement in the Hanukkah party was limited with financial contribution, the venue choice for was made by the Azerbaijani Embassy," TURAN's Washington correspondent was informed by two different sources knowledgeable about the issue.

While post soviet Azerbaijan with poor human rights records seems to have seen Donald Trump's victory as an opportunity for "business as usual", Americans are pondering how to convince their President-elect to put his businesses in a blind trust - a mechanism by which his assets would be managed by people with no direct connection to the president.

News of the canceled deal with a Baku hotel also came on same day Trump was expected to publicly address the conflicts of interest presented by his global business dealings.

Trump owns or has a position in more than 500 companies globally, according to local media. His hotel operation, in particular, is on course for a rapid worldwide expansion, from 14 hotels to more than a 100.

The company announced its real estate project in Baku in late 2013, just six months before Trump entered the presidential race. Building with his name in Azerbaijan has faced some problems, but the company is undaunted.

In a response to media reports, Trump Organization official said on Monday that the company terminated its licensing deal for a Baku Hotel based on "the applicable agreement in which it was originally licensed under."

"Mr. Trump has never owned a hotel in Azerbaijan," an official told TURAN. The project apparently stalled because of financial problems.

Although the project was halted the branding fees continued. In his 104-page financial disclosure which was released in May, Trump valued the Baku project fee at $323,150.

Trump's Azerbaijani partner Anar Mammadov, the son of Azerbaijan's transportation minister, drew the scrutiny of international news outlets amid questions about his business as he was described in leaked American diplomatic cables as "notoriously corrupt, even for Azerbaijan."

A.Raufoglu

Washington, DC