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Turkish friend in U.S Congress to be replaced by pro-Armenian congressman

Politics Materials 3 December 2009 13:06 (UTC +04:00)
Veteran of the faction on Armenian Issues Bill Delahunt will replace chairman of the Subcommittee on Europe of the U.S. Congress and a prominent supporter of Turkey Robert Wexler.
Turkish friend in U.S Congress to be replaced by pro-Armenian congressman

Veteran of the faction on Armenian Issues Bill Delahunt will replace chairman of the Subcommittee on Europe of the U.S. Congress and a prominent supporter of Turkey Robert Wexler.

Wexler, a senior member of the House Committee on Foreign Affairs, as well as co-chairman and founder of the Turkish faction will leave the U.S Congress in late 2009. He will hold the position of President of the Center for Peace and Economic Cooperation in the Middle East, the representation of the subcommittee told Trend .

The subcommittee on Europe monitors U.S. policy towards Turkey, Azerbaijan, Armenia and other European and Eurasian countries.

U.S Armenians welcome replacement. Delahunt during the last vote in 2007 supported the adoption of the resolution on "Armenian genocide" in the House of Representatives.

According to the Committee on Foreign Affairs, his priorities in foreign policy, is to improve U.S-Russian relations and work on common interests of the United States and Europe, such as energy security and climate change.

During the last two years, Delahunt protested against rendering economic and military support to Georgia, objecting to the confrontation with Russia at the hearings in Congress.

"We still need to restore our ties with Europe," Delahunt said yesterday, commenting his appointment.


He stressed that the ties between the United States and Europe must be based on mutual respect and cooperation to counter the global challenges of the 21-st century.

Congressman Wexler has worked in the Committee on Foreign Affairs of the House of Representatives from the date of his election to Congress in 1997. Since then he has actively supported the close cooperation of the United States with a number of countries, including Azerbaijan.

He has recently presented a draft legislative act, which envisages the cancellation of the Jackson-Vanik amendment towards Azerbaijan.

Abolition of the amendment will normalize trade relations with Azerbaijan, which is subjected to restrictions of the Jackson-Vanik as the post-Soviet state.

Wexler thinks that that Azerbaijan, as a strategic partner of the United States on security and energy, has already fulfilled its obligations to promote freedom of emigration and the Congress must abolish the Jackson-Vanik restrictions on the country.

"I strongly support the abolition of the Jackson-Vanik amendment towards Azerbaijan, one of U.S most important strategic allies in the Caucasus region, which has fulfilled all obligations to respect freedom of emigration. It continues to execute them," the congressman said.

As a chairman of the subcommittee on Europe, Wexler worked to strengthen the transatlantic alliance, establish relations in the security and economy with the European Union and the European countries and aid in economic and political development of the former Soviet Union's countries.

Wexler will continue his work in Azerbaijan and Turkey holding a new position of president of the Center for Peace and Economic Cooperation in the Middle East.


The Center is a private, nonprofit organization established in 1989. Its main objective is to achieve just and comprehensive peace that will put an end to military conflicts.

The Center's activity includes visits to the region, diplomatic exchanges, the study of public opinion, organizing of conferences.

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