CAVIAR DIPLOMACY VS. DEDICATION
Editorial, 5 August 2014
Dollars to donuts Tennessee State Representative Joe Towns couldn’t
find Azerbaijan on the map let alone know about the Armenia/Azerbaijan
conflict a few months ago when he introduced a resolution in the
Tennessee Legislature calling for national support for Baby Aliyev’s
kleptocracy. The Southern politico might have been successful had it
not been for one Armenian who suspected Azerbaijan was pulling the
strings behind the scene.
Beardj Barsoumian’s instincts were on the money. However, when he
asked Towns whether the Azeris were behind the initiative, Towns
denied it. Enter Phil Williams of “NewsChannel 5 Investigates”. The
reporter, who had exposed an Azeri/Turkish junket for 12 Tennessee
politicians last year, also smelled a rat. Following the money trail,
he found that two weeks before Towns introduced his resolution he
had received a $10,000 campaign contribution from Texas. Williams
also learned that the windfall had come from half-a-dozen Azeris and
Turks of the Turkish-Azeri Cultural Centre in Houston. Williams found
it interesting that the $10,000 check had been issued from a low-rent
apartment in Houston. He also discovered that $13,000 had been sent
to candidates across the US from the same building located in one of
the city’s roughest neighborhoods.
Towns said his resolution and the contribution was “coincidental.”
Because of the scandal the resolution never even got a vote. A
collateral benefit: many Americans became aware of the Azeri campaign
to corrupt politicians.
The Tennessee scandal wasn’t unique or even rare. Several months
earlier, the Azeris, led by Ambassador Elin Suleymanov had tried
a similar ploy in Hawaii. Two state politicians, who had gone to
an all-expense trip to Azerbaijan, had introduced a resolution
which portrayed the Khojalu battle as “genocide”. As in Tennessee,
the corrupt duo, who had been seduced by Baku’s caviar diplomacy,
bit the dust, thanks mainly to the efforts of four Armenians: Elen
Asatryan; Arpine Philian Mar; Arthur and Ani Martirosian. The latter
delivered an eloquent speech which convinced many Hawaiians and that
the Azeri initiative smelled high… like stale caviar. The resolution
was rejected.
As in Tennessee, the Hawaii Armenians had the solid backing of the
Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA). The Washington-based
organization sent alerts to its members, encouraged them to send
letters and to petition Hawaiian politicians about the devious Azeri
campaign. In the days leading up to the committee hearings, Armenians
submitted hundreds of letters.
The same scenario has played out in a number of states. In most
cases local Armenians and the ANCA have managed to defeat the Azeri
campaigns.
Why have the Azeris picked Hawaii, Tennessee, Georgia, and Wyoming to
advance their nefarious cause? Because few Armenians live in these
states: objection would be minimal, if non-existent, especially if
the wheels of politics are lubricated with oil-soaked cash.
Why is Baku spending millions on public relations in the US and in
Europe? It’s not that the Azeri ambassador is reading Dale Carnegie’s
“How to Make Friends and Influence People” bestseller of yore. In
fact, the project’s target is the oppressed Azeri masses that are
being denied their share of the oil-soaked easy money. Baby Aliev
wants to show to his unhappy subjects that he is popular in the West
and that he is fighting the Armenians.
Aram Hamparian, executive director of the ANCA and a veteran of the
Azeri/Armenian duel, says that when Azeris began their anti-Armenian
campaign in the late ’80s, they were clumsy and confused. But since
Aliev consolidated his regime, they’ve become “sophisticated and
aggressive.” The Azeri campaign has become more professional due to the
input of Washington PR companies. The latter charge the Azeri embassy
$50,000 per month plus expenses to provide strategic counsel on “how
to strengthen Azeri ties with the US government and institutions.” In
addition to the Azeri ambassador, parallel Azeri campaigns are
conducted by the Azeri state oil company (SOCAR) and American companies
with investments in Azerbaijan. They get support also from Ankara,
Gulen’s Hizmet movement, and Turkish-American groups. Although it’s
commonly believed that Azerbaijan spends about $2 million a year in
the U.S. to burnish its soiled profile and paint Armenians black,
Hamparian believes the actual figure could be as high as $10 million.
Financially, the battle is asymmetrical. ANCA certainly doesn’t have
anything close to the petrodollar-infused budget of the Azeris.
Hamparian and his organization engage the Azeris through a deft
utilization of funds, through technology, and through a strong network
of activists and grassroots supporters.
To combat the Azeri campaign, “we had to develop ‘radar,'” says
Hamparian. “As soon as legislation is introduced anywhere in the
US, we get to know about it through a tracking system. We alert and
mobilize our activists and the community in general.”
These Azeri legislative initiatives aren’t the only arenas where
the Azeri lobby and the ANCA battle. The latter was instrumental
in blocking Turcophile Matthew Byrza’s appointment US ambassador
to Azerbaijan. As a result of the Armenian organization’s targeted
campaign, the White House declined to even mention the Khojaly battle
in its public response, although the Azeri lobby had managed to
accrue the requisite 100,000- signature on-line petition to trigger
a reply from the US administration. In the past year, thanks to such
muscular efforts five states have recognized the independence of the
Republic of Artsakh. The ANCA also organizes Capitol Hill programs
celebrating the independence of Artsakh which feature influential
politicians such as Congressman Ed Royce.
Hamparian says ANCA’s job has become more difficult because of the
Crimean crisis. Azerbaijan is now promoting itself as a strategic
partner to the West and an alternative source to Russian gas. “Baku
claims its Southern Gas Corridor can rival Russia’s Nord Stream,”
says the executive director of the ANCA.
Boy Scouts may believe that truth wins at the end, but politics doesn’t
operate on that premise. Many politicians are purchasable commodities;
the justness of the Armenian Cause is of little consequence in the
political/diplomatic esplanade. Campaign contributions, all-expense
paid junkets, front-row seats to sports matches… are the sure way
to the hearts of many pols. The other is public pressure.
It’s obvious that Azeri influence in Washington is posed to grow.
Hamparian knows that a battle royal is looming between his organization
and the Turkbeijan lobby. Armenians who believe the battle being waged
between Armenians and the 90-million Turkbeijan twins is important
should support our lobbyists. We can’t afford to be armchair Armenians,
and merely celebrate the victories won on our behalf by a small band
of dedicated American-Armenians. We should learn from Barsoumian,
Asatryan, Philian Mar, and the Martirosians. We should contribute
financially to Hye Tadd and when the call comes for letter writing,
petitions or any other type of pro-Armenian drive we should respond
promptly. The cause we help is our own.
From: A. Papazian
http://www.keghart.com/Editorial-Caviar-Diplomacy