U.S. State of Hawaii supports Azerbaijan’s territorial integrity

On March 28, 2014 the House of Representatives of the U.S. State of Hawaii has issued a resolution supporting Azerbaijan’s territorial integrity and emphasizing that its Karabakh region is internationally recognized as part of Azerbaijan.

The resolution was presented to Nasimi Aghayev, Azerbaijan’s Consul General in Los Angeles, who was present at the plenary session of the House of Representatives.

During the presentation of the resolution, which was supported by both democrats and republicans of the House, the Democratic Majority Floor Leader Rida Cabanilla, the Republican Minority Floor Leader Gene Ward, the Chair of the Tourism Committee Tom Brower and the Member of the Education Committee Richard Fale offered remarks, noting the strategic importance of the U.S.-Azerbaijan partnership as well as the tremendous efforts undertaken by Azerbaijan in the fight against international terrorism.

The resolution says that “over the last twenty three years, the Republic of Azerbaijan has consolidated its sovereignty and independence, and has become one of the fastest developing countries in the region and beyond.”

Highlighting the U.S.-Azerbaijan relations, the document calls Azerbaijan “a staunch ally of the U.S. in the critically important Caspian region.” It states that “the U.S. along with the United Nations recognize and support Azerbaijan’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, within Azerbaijan’s internationally recognized borders, including the Karabakh region.”

The document mentions that “Azerbaijan was one of the first countries to render unconditional assistance to the U.S. after the terror attacks of 9/11, opening its airspace and airports for the use by coalition troops in Afghanistan and sending its officers and soldiers to serve there shoulder-to-shoulder with U.S. troops.” It says that “today around 40% of all supplies for troops of the U.S. and its allies in Afghanistan are delivered via Azerbaijan.” Moreover, the resolution notes that “Azerbaijan contributes to the energy security of the U.S. and European nations, and is a critical element of the "Southern Corridor," which will further enhance diversification of energy supplies to our European allies.”

The document further notes that “Azerbaijan has a long-standing tradition of peaceful co-existence between various ethnic and religious communities.”

Touching upon Azerbaijan’s relations with Hawaii, the document stresses that Azerbaijan attaches great importance to expanding its relations with the State of Hawaii, and the state’s capital Honolulu and Azerbaijan’s capital city of Baku enjoy a long-standing sister-city partnership.

The resolution concludes by noting that “it is critical for the U.S. to further strengthen the relations with its allies, such as Azerbaijan” and expresses full support of the Hawaii House of Representatives for “the strategic partnership and friendship between the U.S. and the Republic of Azerbaijan.”

The video of the presentation is here: