Legislators press for greater scrutiny of Azerbaijan’s purchase of satellite
May 14, 2011 – 09:01 AMT
PanARMENIAN.Net –
Legislators, citing Azerbaijan’s threats and acts of aggression
against Armenia and Nagorno Karabakh, continue to press for greater
scrutiny of a recent decision by the Export-Import Bank to finance a
controversial satellite purchase by the oil-rich government of Ilham
Aliyev, reported the Armenian National Committee of America.
`We want to thank Senator Kirk and Congressman Sherman for seeking to
ensure that there are safeguards in place against Azerbaijan using the
new capabilities provided by this U.S.-financed satellite to act on
their threat to shoot down Armenian civilian airliners or to re-launch
their war against Nagorno Karabakh,’ said Aram Hamparian, Executive
Director of the ANCA. `With every new revelation, we grow more
convinced that this decision will undermine American interests in
promoting peace in the Caucasus.’
During a May 12th House Foreign Affairs Committee hearing on `Export
Controls, Arms Sales, and Reform,’ Rep. Brad Sherman (D-CA) urged
Under-Secretary of State Ellen Tauscher to look `carefully at this
license to see if this particular satellite gives Azerbaijan the
ability to do surveillance or jamming’ and went on to ask, for the
record, `will you reject this license if the satellite in question
gives the Azeri government the capacity to jam Armenian communications
or survey Armenia or Nagorno Karabakh.’
Under-Secretary Tauscher is expected to respond in writing to this question.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress
Disclaimer: This article was contributed and translated into English by Emil Lazarian. While we strive for quality, the views and accuracy of the content remain the responsibility of the contributor. Please verify all facts independently before reposting or citing.
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