Azerbaijan is a reliable partner of the US, Caspian Group Holdings director general Rob Sobhani’s article in the Washington Times says.
“Azerbaijan stood by the United States immediately after the attacks of Sept. 11 and sent troops to Afghanistan and Iraq to fight alongside America servicemen. Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev has proved a reliable energy partner to the West,” the author believes.
Sobhani noted that American foreign policy must always include cherished values of freedom and human rights. “And yet those same values must also be balanced by the realities of an increasingly dangerous world. At a time when America needs reliable friends on the global stage, we cannot afford to alienate our friends who have stood by us shoulder to shoulder. Azerbaijan is one such country and deserves America’s gratitude,” the publication emphasizes.
According to Sobhani, Ukraine’s crisis might never have happened if Washington had given its unwavering support to Azerbaijan for delivery of gas to Ukraine. The author wrote that according to the World Bank, poverty rates have fallen dramatically in Azerbaijan. "The US elite should spend more time figuring out how they can eliminate the stubborn poverty levels in their own country before criticizing Azerbaijan," the author wrote.
The article also examines the tolerance and multiculturalism in the Azerbaijani society. “A few weeks ago in France, a bastion of democracy, Islamic radicals deliberately targeted a kosher supermarket and killed four Jews. In the frequently criticized Republic of Azerbaijan, Jews celebrated another Sabbath and prayed at Baku’s newly built synagogue. The synagogue is one of the largest outside Israel. The Chief Rabbi of Israel attended the ceremony. And yet, despite this glaring contrast, some in our media and foreign policy elite continue to single out Azerbaijan's leadership for criticism,” Trend cited Sobhani.
Also it is noted that President Aliyev provided the fundamental rights of security, peace, quality education, economic growth, poverty reduction and job creation for his people.
