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Washington Times (15 October 2018)
By S. Rob Sobhani
 

When U.S. National Security Advisor John Bolton tweeted that he will be visiting Azerbaijan on October 20 it could not have come sooner. This secular Muslim country of 9 million is one of America’s most reliable yet underappreciated allies on the world stage. Mr. Bolton should use his visit to this geopolitically significant country sandwiched between a dangerous Russia and adventurous Iran to reiterate Washington’s unwavering, strong and unabashed support for America’s ally of over 26 years.

In 1992, as I stood next to Robert Finn (America’s top diplomat in Azerbaijan) to witness the opening of our embassy in Baku (on the 2nd floor of the Old Intourist Hotel) I could never have imagined that 26 years later Azerbaijan would prove to be one of America’s strongest and reliable partners.

When Mr. Bolton sits down with President Ilham Aliyev later this month he will not only meet an American ally who has succeeded in realizing his vision to make Azerbaijan stable, independent, prosperous, religiously tolerant and modern but also one that shares many of America’s foreign policy goals and cultural values.

Immediately after the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001 on our homeland by Muslim fanatics, former President Heydar Aliyev, offered Azerbaijan’s full and unconditional support to fight this global menace. Today Washington cannot ask for anyone more reliable than President Ilham Aliyev as it continues to address the challenge of international terrorism. For example, Azerbaijan’s special-forces fight along-side their American counterparts in Iraq and Afghanistan. No doubt Mr. Bolton will thank Azerbaijan for its unwavering support.

Despite direct and indirect pressure from Russia and Iran (in 2000, Tehran used force to stop Azerbaijan from drilling one of the world’s largest offshore oil structures Alov), Azerbaijan shares America’s goal of uninterrupted exploration, development and transportation of Caspian Sea energy resources to customers around the world. Under Mr. Aliyev, Azerbaijan has assumed its role as the region’s most reliable export corridor and as such, has become the linchpin of diversifying oil and gas exports away from Russia. Mr. Bolton should applaud Azerbaijan’s contributions to enhancing Western energy security.

Mr. Bolton, a Baltimore native, may not know but Azerbaijan’s philanthropy has touched the lives of those facing the scourge of hunger in his home state. Each year the Maryland Food Bank receives a donation from the ambassador of Azerbaijan in honor of the late President Heydar Aliyev. In fact, President Ilham Aliyev and his wife, Mehriban Aliyeva, (some call her the First Lady of Charity) share the American ethos of generosity. Mrs. Aliyeva’s charitable giving to such organizations in the United States like Save A Child’s Heart, the Urban Alliance and Longview School for the Disabled has touched the lives of those less fortunate in our country. In the interest of this shared value, Mr. Boltonshould encourage these generous acts of kindness to expand between our two countries.

https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2018/oct/15/john-bolton-goes-to-azerbaijan/