Forum on Azerbaijani-US Relations to be held in Washington

Azerbaijani Americans for Democracy (AZAD) is planning to hold a policy discussion forum on Wed December 19. The event titled "Azerbaijan's Untapped Potential for the West: Engaging Azerbaijani Society as a US Ally" is aimed at exploring the relations between the broader segments of the Azerbaijani society and the US. This is a dimension of the relationship between the two countries separate from contacts between the governments, said Elmar Chakhtakhtinski, chairman of AZAD. 

Richard Kauzlarich, a former US Ambassador to Azerbaijan, and David Satter, an author and expert on Russia and former Soviet Union, will be the keynote speakers at the event. 

"Azerbaijan is not just its oil reserves and a comfortable geographical location to serve various logistical purposes. There is a lot more potential to this country," told Gorkhmaz Asgarov, vice-chairman of AZAD. Azerbaijan is a young nation yet to build its own viable political system. Azerbaijani people expect a reasonable degree of help and moral support on that path from the established democracies, especially the United States, he said.

The recent wave of Arab revolutions showed that the United States can not always rely on partnerships with the countries of the region if those are built only through relations with the local governments. This is especially true for the countries with authoritarian regimes, said Chakhtakhtinski. While the contacts with the current governments are important, building friendly relationships with various segments of the society within the country is a better way to secure long-term alliances, he added. -025D-