BAKU, Azerbaijan, February 7. Under President Joe Biden's administration, the US government's biased stance towards Azerbaijan became apparent, with pro-Armenian politicians taking key roles in shaping policies, Azerbaijani MP Tural Ganjaliyev said in an interview with Trend.
"Victoria Nuland and other officials within the US Agency for International Development (USAID) supported global Armenian causes and continued an anti-Azerbaijani campaign. Institutions affiliated with USAID, such as the National Democratic Institute (NDI), the International Republican Institute (IRI), and the International Foundation for Electoral Systems (IFES), received millions in funding from the US State Department and USAID, playing a role in fostering instability and conflicts in various countries," the MP said.
Ganjaliyev pointed out that Armenian lobbyists, especially in the US, acted as a vital link connecting the Armenian diaspora with these organizations. These lobbyists were all over the map, pushing the Armenian agenda in US media outlets.
"For instance, Senator Bob Menendez and his wife, of Armenian descent, who are currently facing corruption charges, have been at the forefront of promoting the Armenian cause. These lobbyists actively pushed the Armenian narrative in US-controlled media. The invitation of former separatists like Ruben Vardanyan to BBC's 'Hard Talk ' program and their appearances on other major US outlets were part of a coordinated anti-Azerbaijani campaign orchestrated by these groups. Key figures in the previous administration's foreign policy, including Joe Biden, Anthony Blinken, Bob Menendez, and Adam Schiff, received substantial support from the Armenian lobby, engaging in activities that critics argue were destructive to Azerbaijan," he said.
Ganjaliyev mentioned that USAID’s operations and the associated activities have already come to a screeching halt.
"We saw how Nikol Pashinyan's recent visit to Washington failed. He attempted to meet with his supporters, and the Armenian lobby exerted significant effort to arrange a meeting with Donald Trump, but ultimately, it did not materialize. The growing rift between Pashinyan, the Armenian Diaspora, the Armenian lobby in the US, and the Armenian Church highlights the complexity of the situation surrounding the Armenian issue. The only viable solution is for Armenia to seek rapprochement with Azerbaijan, offer an apology, and sign a peace agreement," the MP said.
Another Azerbaijani MP Sevinj Fataliyeva pointed to US President Donald Trump's past criticism of USAID, calling the organization "a large-scale corrupt entity." Fataliyeva laid it all on the line, stating that the agency, which was meant to be a helping hand for long-term economic and social development, had found itself in hot water, facing accusations of meddling in the internal affairs of nations while masquerading as a benefactor.
"USAID was originally established with the stated goal of providing long-term economic and social development assistance. It claimed to offer support to countries in areas such as agriculture, trade, global health, democracy, and humanitarian initiatives through various programs. However, in reality, USAID has been accused of using this assistance as a cover to interfere in the internal affairs of sovereign nations. Under the guise of aid, it created conditions conducive to instability, coups, and chaos. There are undeniable facts that USAID, through financing organizations operating in Azerbaijan under different names, actively sought to sustain illegal activities within the country. Furthermore, the agency launched numerous regional projects to obscure these covert operations," she said.
Fataliyeva further claimed that after Azerbaijan got its ducks in a row regarding its territorial integrity, international entities, including USAID, have been playing favorites, tossing around baseless accusations against the country.