azerbaijan.usembassy.gov Embassy of the United States Baku, Azerba...

Embassy of the United States Baku, Azerbaijan - Home Embassy NewsU.S. Citizen ServicesVisas to the U.S.U.S. Policy & IssuesResourcesAzerbaijani Embassy Highlights Azerbaijan Country Reports on Human Rights Practices 2007. Released by the Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor March 11, 2008 Latest Headlines From the Embassy Senator Brownback Calls for U.S. and Azerbaijan to Conclude a "Grand Bargain" to Deepen and Broaden Relations Senator Brownback visited Azerbaijan on February 20 to meet with President Aliyev and to address over 200 Azerbaijani students, offials, and politicians assembled at the Azerbaijan Diplomatic Academy. In his remarks and in the Q&A session, the Senator told the audience that he had urged President Aliyev to visit Washington and conclude a "grand bargain" in an effort to broaden bilateral relations in the areas of energy, commerce, and security/military cooperation. Senator Brownback also discussed the U.S. elections, Iran, Kosovo, the PKK, Nagorno-Karabakh and other issues. The Senator also visited our American Center at the University of Foreign Languages and gave exclusive interviews to ANS TV, Radio Liberty, and the BBC. His visit received broad, positive, national press coverage. U.S. Awards Grant to Assist Azerbaijan in Developing a New Pension System Ambassador Derse and State Social Protection Fund Chairman Muslimov signed a grant agreement to provide $600,000 from the U.S. Trade and Development Agency to assist Azerbaijan in reforming its pension system. The technical assisatnce provided under this grant will help Azerbaijan to use its energy revenues to develop and fund individually-insured, state-funded pension accounts, in addition to setting up a mechanism for individual retirement accounts. This agreement is a demonstration of broad U.S. assistance efforts designed to help and encourage Azerbaijan to use its energy revenues effectively and for the benefit of all Azerbaijani citiz...