- Dear Mr. Vugar thank you for interviewing me on issues related to Azerbaijan. First let me give you information on myself and my organization. I am Oya Bain, a trustee of the Assembly of Turkish American Associations (www.ataa.org), a large U.S. wide umbrella advocacy organization established in 1979. ATAA is run by a board of 15 volunteer officers, 10 of them being regional vice presidents (VP) covering all states of the U.S and also relations with Turkey. ATAA represents 60 regional Turkish American associations as member organizations. Main mission of ATAA is to educate and enable the Turkish Americans to be active in U.S. politics, media and civic public and to give voice to the Turkish American community with the ultimate goal of enhancing the US-Turkish relations. We work very closely with the Azerbaijan community, several of our VPs were Azerbaijani Americans and they are outstanding activists. I have been involved in the Turkish American issues since I came to U.S. in 1960 as a student.

- I think U.S. fully realizes the importance of Azerbaijan as a westward democracy in the Caucasus. U. S. established diplomatic relations with Azerbaijan in 1992, following its independence from the Soviet Union and since then it supported Azerbaijan to promote regional security and stability, enhance energy security, and strengthen economic and political reforms. Over the past decade, Azerbaijan as an energy exporter has been very successful. U.S's support in the construction of the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan pipeline is a good example of excellent relations between the two countries. However there are some bumps in the relations because of the inordinate Armenian effect on U.S. foreign policy as it relates to Caucasus and Turkey.

- Obama looks at the crisis from the humanitarian aspect and I would think he may be more lenient to welcome them, But there is reaction from the Republican side especially by the candidates competing for the Republican presidential primary. Unfortunately they are all too far right; at this time there is not a middle of the road view on refugees and other issues. That may improve with time as the number of the candidates are reduced and their approach become more moderate and solution oriented. American people are hospitable and charitable, but they have practical and justifiable concerns such as terrorism, overloading the social, health and educational services in their communities.. One must remember that US has already 11 million illegal Hispanic immigrants-almost 3 percent of its population. The U.S.government is trying to resolve this issue in a humane yet realistic manner

- Violence is never an answer to resolve problems. Eventually it backfires, Turks had ASALA and JAG Armenian terror organizations attacking Turkish diplomats and civilians of all nationalities. Eventually the world opinion started to turn against these terror organizations even though these organizations were falsely claiming that they are vindicating for the wrongs of the past. Their approach was quite barbaric and proved nothing.

Same with the terror organization, Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) which has caused the death of more than 40,000 people both Kurds and Turks in the last 35 years. The main problem is that there is no organized and united front against terrorism in the world to day. The terrorists against one nation may be considered in a favorable light by another nation. For years European powers and some American legislators supported PKK clandestinely sometimes openly. Even to day western media call them any name but terrorists. I am sorry to say as we speak to day PKK sympathizers and partisans together with the militant Armenian organization ANCA were give a permit to set up their tents with their ugly posters in front of the Turkish Embassy in Washington for 5 months!  American authorities allow this to an organization which American government recognizes as terrorist leaves me speechless. In 2001 PKK groups have set up their tents for 6 months in front of the Turkish Embassy. The day 9/11 happened when Americans were truly hurt by terrorism, police in DC cleared the area promptly. History is repeating again. As long as there is no united front against terrorism among the nations, the fight against global terrorism will not be totally successful.

-Armenia is a political ball between US and Russia. This little failing country and its powerful diaspora in the U.S. hold disproportionate influence in US foreign policy. Eventually two countries have to work out the peace between themselves without the power play of U.S. and Russia. UN Resolutions are also politicized. Countries pick and choose which ones to enforce and promote. Usually this selection is in favor of powerful countries and powerful Diasporas.

- That is very true. Any perceived wrong doing in Azerbaijan amplified, taken out of context and used politically against Azerbaijan in the U.S. One would expect an ally should be able to express well meaning and constructive criticism. However sincerity of the U.S. criticism is abused when we see for example which Congress members are criticizing Azerbaijan-usually those who are very partisan and very pro Armenian. A good example is Chris Smith a New Jersey legislator whose judgment and fairness are not to be trusted.

However most important is that Azerbaijan should not  provide an opportunity to such  criticisms by the U.S. and make every effort to apply the rule of law, practice press freedom and human rights compliance  as much as possible. The same applies to Turkey also. On the other hand "one size fits all" type of simplistic and highly politicized approach by the U.S. without regard to the dynamics of what is actually happening in Azerbaijan decreases the credibility of such criticisms, In the long run we have to look at the overall picture and in Azerbaijan try to improve as much as possible, not because of politicized criticism by U.S. but for the good of Azerbaijani people Azerbaijan is a strong country and should be able to take such criticisms in a constructive manner.

-U.S. is usually consistent with its foreign policy through different administrations. For example at every presidential election, candidates make false promises to the Armenian community regarding the genocide claims, because candidates compete for Armenian money and votes. Once a president is elected, U.S follows a policy which is best for its interests. Hurting Turkey and Azerbaijan relations with false historical claims would be a foolish policy. Karabakh is a more complex case. Azerbaijan has to make its case much more strongly, using voting power and public relations in the U.S. I don't think US policy will differ about Karabakh from one president to another.  US may not be too interested in resolving the Karabakh issue because Armenia is played as  a political power game between Russia and U.S. 

- Tolerance in U.S. is very good and should be a model to all countries. Even to day anti Muslim frenzy as being politicized, there is much effort by sensible U.S. leaders and policies to defuse the hysteria. Everyday there are articles and stories in the mainstream media about the good experiences of the refugees in the U.S. and their welcome by volunteers, church groups that I find very heart warming. U.S. is a country of immigrants of all colors and creeds. So to keep harmony, unity and strength U.S. has to be tolerant and has much experience developing tolerance for several centuries.

As a Turk and a Muslim I did not see any sign of prejudice against me in my 55 years of professional and personal life in the U.S. Azerbaijan is an extraordinary Muslim country in its tolerance and harmony among many different communities. This very important aspect of Azerbaijan should be promoted very strongly throughout the U.S. and the world. At this time is not well known. However in recent years we see increased activity such as many excellent programs, publications, cultural activities reaching out to U.S. public and politicians and promote Azerbaijan's strengths. Interestingly Armenia's closed society and lack of tolerance are never an issue in the U.S. and never mentioned.

- There is definitely an effort by Congress members who are indebted to the Armenian lobby for their elections to undermine U.S. -Azerbaijan relations. 2016 is a major election year. It is a narrow minded and harmful effort, which does not reflect the policies of the U.S. government. U.S. cannot risk losing Azerbaijan to Russia or China. You have to look closely to the American system of government , which has three independent entities: White House and Administration (executive), U.S. Congress (legislative) and the Courts (judiciary)

Usually we see negative approaches both to Azerbaijan and Turkey from the US Congress- where legislators' primary concern is to get enough votes and funds to be re elected in their local districts. (All 435 members of the House of Representatives get elected every two years). Foreign policy and U.S. interests in the world take a back seat. Most legislators are ignorant of what is going on in the world, because they are very involved in the issues of their districts and there almost 200 nations in the world. This is the weak aspect of the American democratic system: Legislators can affect critical and important foreign policy decisions based not on facts but on the hate campaigns of their ethnic constituents in their districts-supported by votes and funds.

Several years ago this what happened to Ambassador Matthew Bryza whose appointment to be U.S. ambassador to Azerbaijan was hijacked by senators Barbara Boxer and Fred Menendez, captive politicians of the Armenian interests.  It was truly a shameful episode in the Congress. Washington Post editor Fred Hiatt described it as a "vivid example of how the larger U.S. national interest can fall victim to special-interest jockeying and political accommodation".

Beat them at their own game! Chris Smith is from New Jersey. In our estimation that there are more Turks and Azerbaijanis living in New Jersey than Armenians. Stop Smith from being re elected in November 2016! Azerbaijanis have to be much more involved and active in the American political system. Armenian community frequently joined by the Greek community is politically very savvy, they all vote, give money to fund raisers, do volunteer work etc. Azerisand Turks have to do the same at an accelerated speed to catch up with our adversaries who have started their political involvement more than 100 years ago. Both Azeri and Turkish communities have come a long way but still not enough.

So Azerbaijanis back in Azerbaijan should not look at U.S. as one monolithic, centralized country run by the president only. They should be informed that there are different branches  which balance each other so the power  of government is not concentrated in one branch.. Checks and balances keep the U.S. powerful and in the middle of the road in spite of the bumps we see as described above. Election tricks of legislators such as Boxer, Menendez, Smith do not represent the policies of the U.S. Executive branch, that is President Obama.

The Azerbaijanis in the U.S. must get to work and be much more involved in the election process -down to a person- of their own legislators, their local boards, governors, mayors etc. It is said that there are half a million Azeris in the U.S. They all need to get out, vote, organize fundraisers, form volunteer teams, be visible and give their message clear and loud. 

I was checking the Internet and found the following information which attests to the warm relations between U.S. and Azerbaijan.

"In 1957, a group of these Azerbaijani settlers in New Jersey founded the Azerbaijan Society of America, a first Azerbaijani-American community organization. In 1976, Houston and Baku established the first sister-city association between the cities in the U.S. and Azerbaijan. It was followed with a sister city between Honolulu, Hawaii and Baku in 1988,[13] Newark, New Jersey and Ganja (second largest city in Azerbaijan) in the early 2000s (decade), and Monterey, California and Lankaranin 2011.[14]"

 This is excellent. But now we need political activity by all Azerbaijanis and  work towards the election of Azerbaijani American politicians at all levels in the U.S. Recently I sent this  letter  to my own legislators and the news media:

"On Dec. 16, 2015, Congressman Christopher Smith (R-N.J.) has introduced the so-called "Azerbaijan Democracy Act of 2015” at the U.S. Congress.  

This bill, if passed and enacted, will inflict a tremendous damage on one of the most important friendships the U.S. has in the world, namely the long-lasting friendship with the Republic of Azerbaijan, which is a secular nation in the Caspian region and an exemplary model for interfaith tolerance and harmony.

Congressman Smith has introduced this bill primarily at the behest of the well-financed Armenian lobby, which pursues only one narrow agenda: to damage Azerbaijan as much as possible. The reason behind Armenian lobby's pathological hatred and racism against Azerbaijan is quite clear: Armenia still holds a considerable part of Azerbaijan's territory under occupation after expelling 800,000 Azerbaijanis from these occupied lands. And advocating for Armenia's corrupt and abusive government, the Armenian lobby in America does its best to legitimize this illegal occupation and justify the brutal ethnic cleansing, as well as damage Azerbaijan-U.S. strategic relationship. Therefore this bill is extremely biased and unfair towards Azerbaijan, which is one of the most valuable and reliable U.S. friends in a difficult neighborhood. 

Considering the tremendous value and importance of the U.S.-Azerbaijan friendship as well as the biased nature of this "Act” being heavily pushed by an ethnic special interest group, this bill should definitely be rejected

We urge the U.S. Congress to vehemently reject the "Azerbaijan Democracy Act of 2015” that would damage first and foremost America’s own national interests."

- This is a complex strategic case. Armenian diaspora wields an inordinate influence on the U.S foreign policy, compared to its size, pushing its influence through legislators bound to their Armenian constituents. So U.S. cannot take a stand on the Karabagh issue in a clear-cut manner even though the Armenian occupation is against everything U.S. preaches but does not practice.

- Ukraine is a different matter. There is no Russian diaspora in the U.S. defending the illegal Russian take over of Ukrainian lands. On the contrary there are enough Ukrainian voices here in U.S. Also Armenia is a little nation between U.S. and Russia and U.S. does not want totally throw Armenia into Russia's arms if it takes a fair stand on Karabagh. You must understand there is no fair play in politics whatever name it is dressed under. Ukraine is also a large country, largest landmass in Europe with 44 million people, with many neighbors. Karabagh is a landlocked small area. Losing Ukraine to Russia would deal a big blow to the U.S.-Russia balance of influence. Even though the illegality and the unfairness of the occupation are same in both countries, in realpolitik they are treated differently.

- Any wrong doing in Azerbaijan is amplified and taken out of context in the US because of Armenian Diaspora's constant campaign of trying to show Azerbaijan in a bad light. It is the same with Turkey. On the other hand Azerbaijan should try to keep its house clean and not give a chance to such blown out criticisms by the Armenian Diaspora and its  mouthpieces in the US Congress and the U.S media-which is very biased.

We constantly hear "media freedom" issues in the US but how about biased, suppressed propagandist media, which gives one side of the story?  So the clamors about "media freedom" lose some of its impact and do not carry much weight any more.

It is likely but it should be avoided at all costs, because wars tend to develop in unexpected ways and especially in the Caucasus it can turn into quagmire harming Azerbaijan more. Yet Azerbaijan should build its military might to new heights. A big stick (wisely used) is always important in international relations-

I am quoting from an article published in Starfor written in Dec 31, 2015 by Eugene Chausovsk, titled "Caucasus: A Crucible for Eurasian Powers"

"Among the Caucasus countries themselves, Azerbaijan will likely be able to reclaim at least some control of Nagorno-Karabakh, whether through military action or a diplomatic settlement, within the next 25 years. Indeed, such a settlement (or at least the early stages of one) is already beginning to take shape, and the process will speed up as Azerbaijan's demographic, economic and military growth coincides with Armenia's decline. As it becomes stronger, Azerbaijan will improve its economic and military ties with Georgia and Turkey, a move that the United States will back. Meanwhile, Armenia will look to develop a closer economic and military relationship with Iran to counterbalance the Azerbaijan-Georgia-Turkey axis. In its own weakened economic and military position, Russia may have to support this move. Consequently, competing alliances between Azerbaijan, Georgia and Turkey (with selective and implicit support from the United States) on one hand and Armenia, Iran and Russia on the other will emerge in the coming decades.

- I do not know enough about the funding of the South Gas Corridor but from what I understand it is a huge project which will be very beneficial to Azerbaijan both politically and economically.The $40 billion Southern Gas Corridor (SGC) project is a priority for the EU and to U.S. also. Running through Turkey, Greece and Italy, the SGC will deliver gas directly from the Caspian Sea- Azerbaijan to Europe via Turkey by 2019, strengthening the political and diplomatic ties of the countries involved. 

The SGC is not one single pipeline, but a series of three pipelines – the South Caucasus Pipeline, the Trans-Anatolian Pipeline (TANAP) and the Trans-Adriatic Pipeline (TAP). It traverses more than 2,000 miles through six countries. 

Southern Gas Corridor will give breathing room to Europe allies and lessen its dependence on Russia’s gas supply manipulation on the continent. Both President Obama and Secretary of State John Kerry showed great support for this monumental project. Trans Adriatic Pipeline (TAP), via which Azerbaijani gas will be transported to Europe, ranked seventh in the list of the most important investment projects for the world economy.

- Azerbaijanis and Turks are true brother nations. I wish the relations between the two countries continuously get closer and the "two states-- one nation” concept gets stronger. I also wish very much both communities in the U.S. work closer in the political arena, complement each other, coordinate their efforts effectively towards similar goals. In our National Leadership Conference taking place in Washington DC on February 25-27, 2016 we have Azerbaijani Ambassador Elin Suleymanov as key note speaker, several Azerbaijani panelists, an exhibit and commemoration of Khojaly massacre. I wish Azerbaijan all the success in major projects and give my sincerest good wishes to Azerbaijani people who are sisters and brothers of the Anatolian Turks.