Vugar Ahmadov
Fellow of Glasgow University on NGO-Government relations
Director of Regional Security and Cooperation Center (Azerbaijani based think tank)

I will not go into details how the South Caucasus is geo-strategically important for United States. Otherwise it does not support Baku-Tbilisi Ceyhan pipeline, which is a question of national security of not only both countries, probably the whole region. However, if not a political will of Azerbaijani national leader Haydar Aliyev and support of the country which holds 70% of the Caucasus economy, this project would not be in life. Nevertheless, the main question to what I want to find an answer isabout the United States thinking of the future of this region.

After collapse of Soviet Union, it seemed that the west invested a lot of money and resources for the peace and prosperity of this region. Hundreds of American NGOs and humanitarian organizations came to the region and started operating in all three south Caucasus countries. What was the goal of these operations? Probably to bring peace and prosperity to the region. Now, let’s look into the picture of the region-After 20 years-the conflict of Nagorno-Karabakh between Armenia and Azerbaijan has not been resolved yet. Georgia after its fast democratization process lost physical access to South Osetia and Abkhazia and faced with Russian invasion. Economic situation in this country is not promising.

Today we are witnessing how one by one American international organizations are leaving Azerbaijan and ending up their operations. Instead, today the major grants and financial aid are being addressed to Armenia, and not only to Erevan.According to the 907 act of state aid, United States is providing humanitarian funding to so called “Nagorno-Karabakh” community for various social projects. The biggest staff, the biggest operating programs of American international NGOs are precisely based in Armenia. As an example, it is possible to show Eurasia Foundation Erevan office, USAID, World Vision International, Save the Children, IRI,Catholic Relief Service, OXFAM, IREX and other organizations, which’s program were ten times bigger than in Azerbaijan.In all these organizations, the head staff are Armenians while in Azerbaijan people from different nationalities.

Another question is about the biggest American Embassy in the region which is in Erevan when Azerbaijan is the main driving country of the South Caucasus? Is it really a goal of United States to help the development of the aggressor country that is occupied twenty percent of Azerbaijani territories and stays in the region as the military base of Russia? If not, then what? If United States through these programs has been settled so largely in Armenia, so why this country is not using its power to pressure for withdraw of its troops from occupied Azerbaijani territories.

As a reliable ally of US Azerbaijan is playing a transit hub and logistic support for Eurasia region, actively support anti-terror operations of the Coalition in Muslim countries such as Iraq and Afghanistan, support energy security of Europe. While in Azerbaijan hundreds of American grants addressed to exercising of democratization and human rights, in Armenia the most projects served for the economic and social development of the country and we never hear from statements of White House about the violation of election and democratic rights and the cases of massive killing of protesters in Erevan streets.

Questions are dozen, answer is clear-Unequal policy and double standards approach in the case to the South Caucasus region.

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