In his July 19 article, Dan Boyd raised some important points about the great friendship between the state of New Mexico and the Republic of Azerbaijan.

For many years, Azerbaijan has stood as a staunch U.S. ally in one of the world’s most difficult regions, supporting efforts alongside the United States and NATO to achieve bold success in the fight against terrorism, extremism and international money laundering, as well as sending troops to Iraq and Afghanistan, and providing energy security for our European allies and Israel.

Leaders of New Mexico are right to continue building on this strong and positive relationship. As a New Mexico resident, it fills me with pride to see that our State Legislature has taken steps to recognize this true friendship.

Honoring and embracing our allies is not only the right thing to do, it is a crucial component of keeping our own nation safe and strong. This is particularly true in such turbulent times, where homegrown terrorism is finding its way to the southwest, most recently in Texas and Tennessee.

New Mexico is the geographical embodiment of courage and independence, and so I am impressed, but unsurprised, that our citizens and elected officials stand together to support a friend and ally, despite the efforts of a special interest group, which was described as a "particularly noxious lobby” by a Washington Post editorial, pushing hard against these most basic and principled actions. New Mexico is not easily bullied.

When it comes to the critics and negative media, it is easy to see how Azerbaijan is judged unfairly. Sandwiched between Russia and Iran, and not far from other troubled regions like Iraq, Syria and Afghanistan, Azerbaijan does in fact take measures to protect the security of its people, its independence and territorial integrity in a way that we as Americans cannot truly comprehend.

As the recent resolution passed by the State Legislature notes, "Azerbaijan offers an environment where Muslims, Jews and Christians enjoy peaceful coexistence and live in dignity and harmony and with respect for one another.”

Yes, the staunchly secular Azerbaijan is known for championing interfaith harmony while located in a dangerous region, and facing military occupation and ethnic cleansing of 20 percent of its territory by neighboring Armenia.

Despite all the difficult challenges, Azerbaijan has managed to become a prospering and rapidly modernizing nation that offers enormous opportunities for people of every faith and background.

Today, the poverty rate in Azerbaijan is less than 6 percent, when, just 15 years ago, it was nearly 50 percent. Just this fact alone is exemplary of the dramatic transformation this post-Soviet nation has undergone during a mere 24 years of independence.

I applaud Senate President Pro Tem Mary Kay Papen, Sen. Gerald Ortiz y Pino, Rep. Nora Espinoza, Rep. Debbie Rodella and other lawmakers for being strong supporters of an important U.S. ally.

They are great defenders of the interests of our state and nation. And they also know how to help build our economy, and strong friendships with reliable U.S. allies can be very beneficial, as the experiences of other states show.

An example is the state of Washington. Just this year, Azerbaijan entered into a multi-billion-dollar deal to purchase airplanes, creating thousands of American jobs there.

The first signs of the beneficial partnership between Azerbaijan and New Mexico are already there, as the article also mentions.

The scholarship agreement that was signed with New Mexico State University will create great opportunities for NMSU students to prepare for a global society while building their vision.

And this is just the beginning of many more partnerships in various fields to follow.

I hope to see more communities across New Mexico and the United States stand up, applaud and support our friend, the Republic of Azerbaijan.