REFERENCE TITLE: Republic of Azerbaijan; strategic partnership.

State of Arizona Senate Fifty-first Legislature Second Regular Session 2014

SR 1008

Introduced by Senator McComish; Representatives Campbell, Kavanagh: Senators Driggs, Farley, Tovar; Representative Gray

 

A RESOLUTION

 

Supporting the strategic partnership between the United States and the Republic of Azerbaijan and the reinvigoration of United States efforts aimed at a swift and just political settlement of the Armenia-Azerbaijan Nagorno‑Karabakh conflict.

 

 

(TEXT OF BILL BEGINS ON NEXT PAGE)

Whereas, the Republic of Azerbaijan is a strategic partner of the United States of America in the strategically important South Caucasus region bordering Iran, the Russian Federation and Central Asia; and

Whereas, the United States of America and the Republic of Azerbaijan established diplomatic relations on February 28, 1992; and

Whereas, through the efforts of their Consulate General, the Republic of Azerbaijan attaches great importance to expanding its multifaceted relationships with Arizona in such fields as trade, investments, culture and education; and

Whereas, the United States and Arizona support independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity of the Republic of Azerbaijan; and

Whereas, over the past twenty years, the United States of America and the Republic of Azerbaijan expanded their partnership and developed multifaceted cooperation on issues ranging from energy security, to the fight against international terrorism, to efforts against drug and human trafficking, to nonproliferation of weapons of mass destruction; and

Whereas, the United States Secretary of State stated on June 3, 2013 that "Azerbaijan has been an important partner in Afghanistan, in ISAF, and equally important with respect to the northern distribution route but also the southern gas line and other issues that are of great importance to us"; and

Whereas, over the past decades, the Republic of Azerbaijan has succeeded in rebuilding its economy, tripling its gross domestic product (GDP) and becoming a rapidly developing member of the global economy.  Accounting for 80% of the GDP of the South Caucasus region, the Republic of Azerbaijan is the United States' biggest trade partner in the South Caucasus; and

Whereas, the Republic of Azerbaijan initiated a number of strategically important trans-regional energy and transportation projects like the Baku‑Tbilisi-Ceyhan oil pipeline, the Baku-Tbilisi-Erzerum gas pipeline and the Baku-Tbilisi-Kars railway, which contribute to the prosperity of both the Republic of Azerbaijan and some of our regional allies, including Turkey and Georgia; and

Whereas, despite the positive developments the Republic of Azerbaijan has been experiencing, persistent protracted conflicts in the South Caucasus, including the Armenia-Azerbaijan Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, continue to threaten regional peace and stability and impede further development of regional cooperation for the benefit of all three countries of the South Caucasus; and

Whereas, on November 2, 2008, the Republic of Azerbaijan, the Republic of Armenia and the Russian Federation adopted a joint declaration in which they stated that the political settlement of the conflict, on the basis of international law, will create favorable conditions for economic development and comprehensive cooperation in the region; and

Whereas, the United States of America, France and the Russian Federation are co-chairs of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) Minsk Group, tasked to facilitate negotiations between the Republic of Armenia and the Republic of Azerbaijan toward a political settlement of the conflict based on the principles and norms of international law and the decisions and documents adopted by the Organization for Security and Cooperation and the applicable United Nations Security Council resolutions; and

Whereas, the international community, including the OSCE Minsk Group co-chair countries, stated on a number of occasions that they support the territorial integrity of the Republic of Azerbaijan and do not recognize Nagorno-Karabakh as an independent entity; and

Whereas, the United Nations Security Council, in its resolutions 822, 853, 874 and 884, and the international community, including NATO, the United Nations, the Organization of Islamic Cooperation and the Non-Aligned Movement, reaffirmed support for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the Republic of Azerbaijan; and

Whereas, the resolution of the Armenia-Azerbaijan conflict will bring relief to the hundreds of thousands of Azerbaijani refugees who have been displaced because of this conflict.

Therefore

Be it resolved by the Senate of the State of Arizona:

1.  That the Members of the Senate support the strategic partnership between the United States and the Republic of Azerbaijan.

2.  That the Members of the Senate support the reinvigoration of United States efforts aimed at a swift and just political settlement of the Armenia‑Azerbaijan Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.