There will not be Essential Changes in the US Policy Towards Azerbaijan

• 09.19.2016, 19:54
• Greta Avetisyan
•  America,  Region,  "Insight" Analytical Center ,  World

During the recent times there has been a great tension between the US and Azerbaijan and the best manifestation of this was calling the Ambassador of Azerbaijan to the US back to Baku for consultations. A reason for such a step became a publication by senior director for human rights and democracy at the McCain Institute for International Leadership and a former assistant secretary of state for democracy, human rights and labor, David J. Kramer and former U.S. ambassador to Azerbaijan and to Bosnia and Herzegovina, Richard Kauzlaric in The Washington Post. The authors of the article called the US President to put sanctions against Azerbaijan for human rights violations there, which, of course, being quite a painful subject for the Azerbaijani authorities, brought quite a big response.

It should, however, be mentioned that there were some "prerequisites" for such a tension in the US-Azerbaijan relations.

First, on the eve of the referendum on Constitutional changes a new wave of repressions, as well as arrests especially of those activists have started, who call the Azerbaijani society vote against changes. Such wave of repressions did not escape from the attention of the US and the State Department came up with a critical announcement. This, in its turn, arose anti-Western moods in the ruling clan of Azerbaijan and many Western funds operating in Azerbaijan became targets. USAID, NED, EED and other famous organizations began to be blamed for financing the opposition of Azerbaijan, which, according to Azerbaijan, is a threat to the stability of the country.

Second, the US had called the Azerbaijani authorities to send the draft Constitutional Changes to the Venice Commission for a conclusion. In its turn the Venice Commission had also come up with an announcement expressing readiness to prepare such a conclusion, mentioning also that the cooperation between Azerbaijan and the Venice Commission is very limited. After all this, not to send the draft to the Venice Commission, especially when there is so much criticism towards it for its non-democratic nature, would mean to appear under a new wave of repressions. Another question is how much Azerbaijan will take into account the notes in that conclusion.

It should be mentioned that the most criticized points in the draft are the expansion of presidential powers, the extension of tenure and lowering the minimum age threshold for a presidential candidate.

Though the tense relations in the US-Azerbaijani relations will still be there after the referendum, taking into account the expected results and the tools used for having those results, the interests of the US in the region and Azerbaijan’s petrodollars, which at least today solve certain problems, will "hinder" the US to make essential changes in its policy towards Azerbaijan.