Directions of cooperation with USAID will be determined by Azerbaijan itself, Mollazade

Baku/01.03.18/Turan: Cooperation between Azerbaijan and USAID (American Agency for International Development) meets the interests of both countries. However, Azerbaijan should itself propose directions for cooperation. This opinion was voiced by Azerbaijani MP and chairman of the Democratic Reforms Party Asim Mollazade in an interview to the Azerbaijani service of the Voice of America, commenting on the statement of the USAID representative Brok Birman that "for Azerbaijan, the USAID has no" doors open ".

Birman justified his opinion by the fact that the Azerbaijani authorities did not resolve the issue of registering local partner NGOs USAID, and settled other disputable issues. However, Mollazade believes that we should not make hasty conclusions. According to him, Azerbaijan and the United States have partnership relations in a number of areas and, first of all, in matters of security. "I would appreciate the moral support provided by America in the matter of energy security," Mollazade said.

As for USAID cooperation, each side should work according to its program and draw up a joint roadmap, Mollazade said, not agreeing with the criticism of Brock Birman. To "open the door" you need to work in a two-way direction. As for the issues identified by Birman, Mollazade considers possible their solution (registration of partner organizations and resolution of tax disputes).

It should be noted that in recent years almost all non-governmental and humanitarian organizations of the USA left Azerbaijan, only USAID remained. If she stops working, how will this affect bilateral relations? Answering this question, Mollazade said that this will not affect bilateral relations.

In connection with the economic development of Azerbaijan, the need for humanitarian support has decreased. However, US assistance at this stage can be in the field of education and in the implementation of health reforms. The transformation of Azerbaijan into a modern, democratic strong state is mainly due to the human factor. It is the education of youth, the solution of education and health. These spheres should become areas of cooperation, Mollazade said. -03/16D-