Azerbaijan paid U.S. lobbyists over half a million dollars

PanARMENIAN.Net - The U.S. Ministry of Justice published a report on the activity of lobbyist companies, presenting interests of foreign states, organizations, and private citizens of the USA. In the first half-year of 2008 the structures of Russia, the Ukraine, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Estonia, and Nagorno-Karabakh made use of the services of the lobbyists.



According to the report, Chlopak, Leonard, Schechter and Associates received from the Azerbaijani MFA 39.1 thousand dollars for working out and disseminating information.



"JWI received from the International Bank of Azerbaijan about 108.1 thousand dollars for the operations on lobbying the legislation in the interests of the pledge. The same company received 26 thousand dollars from the Azerbaijani President for similar operations in working out the strategy on the relations with the press."



The Livingston Group company received 347.9 thousand dollars for organizing political consultations with the members of the US Congress, from the Azerbaijan MFA through the Embassy of Azerbaijan in the USA, and also for carrying out various actions on the subject of building American- Azerbaijan relations, freedom of speech in Azerbaijan, and assistance in organizing visits of Azerbaijani MFA representatives in the USA. The Melwood Communications company received from the Embassy of Azerbaijan an unspecified sum for carrying out media- strategy in the interests of the Republic of Azerbaijan. The Azerbaijan General Consulate transferred about 8.9 thousand dollars to Sitrick and Company for the assistance rendered in building contacts with the media of the city of Los Angeles, as stated in the report of the U.S. Ministry of Justice.



As is stated in the same report, the Government of Nagorno-Karabakh transferred 103.5 thousand dollars to the organization Office of the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic in the USA for building contacts with the power lobby of Washington, with the public relations and the media, the dissemination of information regarding the issue of building up a peace process. Besides, William Spenser, a PR specialist working in the interests of Nagorno-Karabakh received an unspecified sum from the standing representative of Nagorno-Karabakh Republic in the USA, Vardan Barseghyan, as is stated in Washington ProFile.