[Congressional Record Volume 157, Number 75 (Friday, May 27, 2011)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E970]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




       CONGRATULATING AZERBAIJAN ON TWENTY YEARS OF INDEPENDENCE

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                             HON. ED PASTOR

                               of arizona

                    in the house of representatives

                         Thursday, May 26, 2011

  Mr. PASTOR of Arizona. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to congratulate an 
important ally of ours in the South Caucasus region, Azerbaijan, which 
is celebrating the 20th anniversary of its independence as a democratic 
nation. Despite the global recession, Azerbaijan has experienced strong 
economic growth in each of the past three years, in part due to 
increased immigration as people from surrounding nations have found 
that Azerbaijan affords the greatest opportunity for employment, 
stability and security for working families in the region.
  Azerbaijan continues to face unique challenges that it must overcome 
to maintain the promise of its independent democratic principles. This 
country of eight million people occupies the Western shore of the 
Caspian Sea, bordering Russia to the North and Iran to the South. This 
region contains vast oil and gas resources equivalent to those of Saudi 
Arabia, with Azerbaijan owning one-third of these valuable deposits, 
but it must be vigilant in maintaining independence of action regarding 
the use and distribution of its extracted resources. Their main oil 
pipeline runs from the capital city, Baku, through Georgia and Turkey, 
and out to the Turkish port of Ceyhan on the Mediterranean Sea.
  In the early 1990's, Azerbaijan was involved in a brutal conflict 
with its neighbor to the West, Armenia, and the repercussions from 
atrocities committed during that time still impact diplomatic and 
economic relations today. Since a cease-fire was negotiated in 1994, 
these two nations have been locked in a dispute over the Nagorno-
Karabakh region, located within Azerbaijan but occupied by Armenian 
forces. The Minsk Group of the Organization for Security and 
Cooperation in Europe, of which the United States is a co-chair, was 
created to encourage a peaceful, negotiated resolution to this 
conflict, yet work remains in reaching this goal.
  Azerbaijan is a secular, modern, Muslim nation that has practiced 
complete religious tolerance for hundreds of years, with some five 
Jewish synagogues in Baku alone. Israel is an important oil customer of 
theirs, and in the past year, honored Azerbaijani teams that worked 
alongside Israelis in fighting large wildfires that ravaged northern 
Israel. And of major importance, Azerbaijan bolsters U.S. efforts in 
Afghanistan through troops and airfields that provide logistical 
support.
  It is important that America continue to encourage Azerbaijan in its 
democratic and economic growth, and highlight the progress made in 
these last twenty years. Congratulations, Azerbaijan.

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