NEW YORK, LOS ANGELES - Azerbaijani-American Council (AAC) and Azerbaijan Society of America (ASA) congratulate President Barack Obama on the occasion of his confident re-election victory on November 6, 2012. We also commend Governor Mitt Romney for a well-organized campaign and wish him success in his future endeavors.
AAC and ASA hope that in the next four years, the Obama Administration will continue working to enhance the U.S.-Azerbaijani relations along the previously defined key priorities of regional security, energy development, and economic and democratic reform. The lack of progress in the Armenian-Azerbaijani Nagorno-Karabakh conflict settlement remains a major obstacle in all of the mentioned areas. So, we count on the Administration's active engagement in the OSCE Minsk Group peace process and on its ability to inhibit the harmful influence of some ethnic special interest groups on U.S. foreign policy in the South Caucasus.
Many Azerbaijani-Americans also hope that in pursuit of a diplomatic solution to the impasse over the Iranian nuclear program, the Obama Administration will bear in mind the plight of ethnic Azerbaijanis that comprise well over third of Iran's population.
AAC and ASA thank all Azerbaijani-Americans who exercised their civic duties by voting in the U.S. elections on Tuesday. Their active participation in this democratic process is a fundamental part of advancing the Azerbaijani-American grassroots.
