Azerbaijan has hired a veteran Republican Party adviser and political strategist to boost its public image in the United States, RFE/RL reported.

Baku’s embassy in Washington has signed a contract with Liz Mair, whose public-relations firm will aim to generate news coverage to “impact various U.S. government officials, as well as the U.S. general public,” according to a U.S. Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA) disclosure statement signed on October 9.

Under the terms of the six-month contract, Azerbaijan will pay Mair’s firm, Mair Strategies, $15,000 a month for public-relations services, according FARA documents.

Mair has served as an online communications strategist to senior Republican officials, including Texas Governor Rick Perry, Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker, and Senator Rand Paul of Kentucky. She is also a former online communications director for the Republican National Committee.

The hiring was first reported by Politico Influence, a newsletter on Washington’s lobbying community, which cited a source familiar with the contract.

Bakudaily.Az