US Congressman Howard Berman continues his efforts towards urging the secretary of state to suspend the military sale to Azerbaijan.In a letter to Hillary Clinton, Berman expresses concerns over the Department of State's proposal to allow the sale."Two months ago, my staff inquired as to the possible use of this equipment by Azerbaijan. Just last week, they were informed that it would be used on existing helicopters to aid in border surveillance and “police-type” activities.
As Azerbaijan shares a border with Armenia, this equipment could be used to identify and possibly target Armenians in the border area for surveillance or for attack. I am also concerned about the message that such a sale would send to the regional parties, both in terms of perceived US even-handedness and in terms of our seriousness about persuading Baku to cease its bellicose rhetoric and agree to Minsk Group co-chair demands that it remove its snipers from the “line of contact” in the Nagorno-Karabakh region.
I therefore urge you to alter the proposal and prevent this military equipment from being sold to Azerbaijan," reads the letter.
Wednesday, May 30, 2012
US congressman concerned over military equipment deal with Azerbaijan
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