Ambassador Robert F. Cekuta About His Three Years as Ambassador in Azerbaijan

VOA: On March 26 we attended a very nice event [the opening of the Guba Hamam, the renovation of which was funded by the Department of State"s Ambassador"s Fund for Cultural Preservation]. The event was well organized, and for that I would like to thank you.

Ambassador Cekuta: On that point, the event in Guba is a good example of how we"ve really seen improvements in the relationship over the last three years. And one of the nice things about the event in Guba was that this was a project I saw through from the beginning to the finish. That"s a rare luxury in diplomatic life. That project really was important for two reasons. First, it showed the U.S. connection with Azerbaijan and the appreciation of Azerbaijan"s history. We wanted to reinforce that history. And secondly, it underlined again the importance of the different religions, the different ethnic groups living together and the lesson that that can provide to other countries in the world today.

VOA: What were your impressions when you arrived in Azerbaijan? What were your plans at the beginning of your term? Have you had a chance to implement or realize all your plans?

Ambassador Cekuta: I"ll start off by saying no, I did not have a chance to realize all my plans. I don"t think anyone ever can. There"s a lot in this country, and I think what I"ve learned over the time being here was how much is here. I have gained a greater sense of Azerbaijan"s history and culture. I"ve gained a stronger sense of the country"s strategic importance, where it sits in the world, and what that means in terms of the impact on Azerbaijanis and Azerbaijan"s security, but also what that means in terms of U.S. policy in this part of the world.

VOA: During your tenure there was a large trade delegation and there was a conference with the U.S., in which U.S. businessmen participated. So there is a business connection between Azerbaijan and the United States. In this regard, how would you characterize economic trade and relations between the nations?

Ambassador Cekuta: I think from the economic aspect the relationship with Azerbaijan is good. Again, as I"ve said repeatedly, it"s one of the three key legs of the triangle of U.S.-Azerbaijani relations. Economics and energy, security and rule of law / democracy / human rights.

We"ve seen, and this is very important for the U.S. government, we"ve seen over $3 billion in Boeing sales. We"ve seen the sale of a second Azercosmos satellite with over $200 million in U.S. input. We"ve seen increased activity in the agricultural sector. All of these things are important. They bring the two countries together. They flesh out the relationship. But I think it"s also through our cooperation in these areas in terms of the energy sector renewal of the PSA, the great progress being realized on the Southern Gas Corridor. All these things bring the two countries together and strengthen that relationship.

The completion of the Baku-Tbilisi-Kars Railroad has also had a huge impact in terms of opening up Central Asia, in terms of access to places like Afghanistan and increasing, again, the connections between our two countries. I also keep seeing the potential for increased engagement in the energy sector, particularly bringing in new U.S. technologies to help boost Azerbaijan"s oil and gas production.

VOA: Before you were appointed as Ambassador to Azerbaijan the regional American Corners, IREX, the International Republican Institute, and the National Democratic Institute were closed, and Peace Corps left Azerbaijan. And recently a high-ranking USAID official mentioned the challenges, or even I would say impossibility, of working in Azerbaijan. So how do all of these affect the bilateral relations?

Ambassador Cekuta: I think one of the things we"ve tried to work on over the last three years is finding ways to strengthen those relations. The American Corners have been reopened. It would be great to have Peace Corps here. Again, I think Peace Corps can play a huge role in teaching English, but we"re finding new ways, different ways to engage on these fronts.

And on the assistance front, we"ve seen an increase in the number of requests for assistance from the Azerbaijan government. We have a number of assistance programs which have been moving forward, particularly in the agricultural area, to help increase entrepreneurship training for women, and younger people. We have made various steps to help engage women and younger people, more in society. We"ve got programs fighting human trafficking.

Since 1992 we have delivered $1.3 billion in aid to Azerbaijan, and there are many ongoing assistance programs. These programs change shape over time, which just the nature of life. But again, they are programs which are helping Azerbaijanis meet their needs as the country develops.

VOA: The Azerbaijani opposition claims the U.S."s liberal approach to the violation of human rights and democracy in Azerbaijan is related to the U.S." selling of Boeings to Azerbaijan, and to U.S. companies" participation in large projects. In this regard, what is the U.S. attitude toward early presidential elections in Azerbaijan?

Ambassador Cekuta: I think in terms of the election, I would just say what Secretary Tillerson said in Egypt. I"ll just quote what the Secretary said: "The United States supports, in all countries, a transparent and credible electoral process and all citizens being given the right and the opportunity to participate freely and fairly."

I think on the more general issue that you"re raising, I"ve said in the past, and Bridget Brink when she was here a few weeks back noted as well, that we have continued to engage with the Azerbaijani government on the issue of human rights. It is an issue that is just as important as the other work we"re trying to do on the economic energy front and on the security front.

VOA: There are statements on the pardoning and amnesty of all political prisoners, and completely solving the issue of political prisoners. The Department of State also issued statements condemning the imprisonment of a number of political opponents. What are your thoughts on this pardoning and amnesty calls?

Ambassador Cekuta: Our thoughts are the ones that have been stated by my government. This is something that needs to be addressed, it"s something which we hope will be addressed for the well-being of the country.

VOA: Usually, Azerbaijan and the United States speak about strong energy and economic relations. But there are only a few American companies working in the Azerbaijan energy sector. What are the reasons for the weak participation of American companies in the energy and oil sector?

Ambassador Cekuta: There are U.S. companies that are involved in the energy sector. Those decisions are made on a commercial basis. But I think the important point, and this has been a basic feature of our engagement with Azerbaijan for over two decades, has been seeing Azerbaijan"s potential as an energy supplier, and also recognizing the geostrategic and geopolitical realities as well as the geopolitical realities so that oil and gas can move out of Azerbaijan in such a way that those supplies will not be inhibited by other powers. Azerbaijan"s ability to produce oil and gas and to move it out securely to world markets is a very important contribution to European and global energy security, as well as to overall global security.

VOA: In a period when the United States is further expanding sanctions against Iran and Russia, what are the changes in the cooperation between the the U.S. and Azerbaijan on the security front? And what kind of assistance has United States provided to Azerbaijan in the area of security? And what kind of further activities should be carried out in this direction?

Ambassador Cekuta: I think I can only go so far in addressing the specifics of that question. But I note that the United States has been working with Azerbaijan, helping improve the NATO capabilities, NATO compatibility of units in the Azerbaijani military. And I"d also note that Azerbaijan has played, and continues to play, an important role in helping the Resolute Support Mission in Afghanistan, sending troops there and also providing other types of assistance and making available other types of assistance to the Afghan government to improve its security, to basically help address the situation there.

But I would say both in my capacity as Ambassador and also having been the Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Energy, Sanctions, and Commodities, that probably the best way to be looking at the overall question of U.S. policy on sanctions regarding Russia, what"s happened in recent days, and also regarding Iran, really is through people in Washington.

VOA: In 2008 Russia almost reached the area of Southern Gas Corridor. What can be done by the regional countries and the United States to ensure security of the Southern Gas Corridor?

Ambassador Cekuta: I think in terms of the security of the Gas Corridor, these are matters which are being handled by the countries along the way. The oil and gas are continuing to flow from Azerbaijan west into Europe and to world markets.

VOA: There is no progress in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. Besides compromises, what else do the sides have to do to settle the conflict and change the status quo?

Ambassador Cekuta: That"s probably more a question for Andrew Schofer [the U.S. OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chair] than for me. But what I would say in terms of what the Embassy has been doing, we have made a concerted effort to try to inform Washington about the situation on the ground here, and also to note the great importance of finding a settlement to Nagorno-Karabakh for every Azerbaijani. Azerbaijanis have different views on many things; this is not an issue on which there are different views.

I"ve made a point to meet regularly with members of the IDP community throughout my three years here. We"ve opened 16 schools for the IDP community since 1992. There"s a 17th on the way. We"ve spent over $125 million in assistance to IDPs. We"ve created a new program called American Shelves, to try to bring books and engage with the kids, the children, and IDP families.

It"s important, I feel, for us to be engaging with these groups and to work with them at all times: to learn about the past, to understand what happened, but also to look towards their future.

VOA: Are there any changes in the spectrum of U.S. assistance to Azerbaijan? Before, there were projects related to democracy, elections, justice institutions, development of media. How would you characterize the assistance in these areas?

Ambassador Cekuta: I think the programs are moving ahead in areas where the two sides are interested in cooperating. Where there are places that Azerbaijan feels, and we feel, programs can make a contribution. There are programs not only through USAID, but also through other parts of the United States embassy as well. We have many programs focused on helping journalists with their skills. We"ve done programs, for example, with economic journalists. Programs to help improve English language ability, to learn more about other aspects of U.S. culture. This is an ongoing effort. We have programs in rural areas to help communities develop, and to help them understand better how to identify their needs, engage, and move forward with them. This is really what the [USAID funded] SEDA program, which is a program that the Azerbaijan government along with the United States have been partners in, is designed to help do.

VOA: What is the status of whether USAID is going to leave Azerbaijan or stay?

Ambassador Cekuta: I think we have a number of ongoing projects and the budget process is still working out in Washington. They"ve approved the overall U.S. budget, and we"re waiting to see what the numbers are.

VOA: The last question, with what impression are you leaving Azerbaijan? And how will this country remain in your memory?

Ambassador Cekuta: I think for me what I"ve enjoyed about Azerbaijan is its diversity. I"ve enjoyed the chance to go out and hike, be in nature; to see historical sites as old as Gobustan. Just last week we were up around Sheki. The diversity of Azerbaijan is just amazing.

My frustration is there are still places I haven"t gotten to go, despite having been here for three years. And I say that even though when I talk to Azerbaijanis they often say there are places I have gone to which they"ve never seen, that they"ve never gone to.

I have to say, though, the thing which really makes the place are the people. For Anne, for me, for the kids, we can"t imagine not coming back as tourists, not coming back and seeing the people we"ve gotten to know here. That"s been the greatest part about the job.

And by the way, we have a number of Azerbaijani cookbooks, so we"ll take care of that part at home. So we"ve got to come back for the people.