Interview with David Harris, chief executive of the US Jewish committee.
– What is your visit to Azerbaijan related to?
– First of all, we have come here to observe the state of affairs in present-day Azerbaijan. It should be noted that this is my first visit to the country. Upon arrival to the United States, we will tell about everything, we have seen here. We are Azerbaijan’s friends.
– Azerbaijan is closely cooperating with the US Jews lobby. Which role can the Jewish committee play in the due presentation of Azerbaijan in the United States, including in the US congress?
– I think that there is a certain deficit of information in the United States about the situation in Azerbaijan. Jewish community may help the settlement of this issue for Americans to familiarize with the events in Azerbaijan. Our two countries should be close friends. This is our task. I can not predict what will happen before elections here in Azerbaijan and in the United States. There will be a new congress in the United States from January. What I can say today is that we, the Jewish committee of the United States, are Azerbaijan’s friends and we really want to help.
– During the international conference “Azerbaijanis and Americans: as we see each others”, held in Baku Wednesday, Azerbaijani deputy Gultekin Hajiyeva blamed the United States for refusing to recognize the religious tolerance in their reports, while other countries consider Azerbaijanis’ attitude to the Jewish part of the country’s population exemplary. Why are the United States so biased?
– I would not say that it is like that. The United States consider that Azerbaijan is an important country for Washington, it is a country of tolerance and establishment of strong relations between Azerbaijan and the United States is an important task for us and our country.
– Do you know that remainders of Jews were also revealed during the continuing digs in Guba in the north of Azerbaijan, one of the regions of genocide, committed by Armenians against Azerbaijanis, and what will your organization do in this connection?
– Unfortunately, during my recent visit to Azerbaijan, which lasted for two days, I was unable to visit Guba. Frankly speaking, I am still unfamiliar with this issue and I should learn more in order to define possibilities of rendering any assistance.
– Do you consider it necessary to hold joint arrangements with the Azerbaijani side to popularize Azerbaijan’s experience in establishing equal relations between representatives of various nations and religious confessions?
– Certainly. We consider Azerbaijan to be a real model of tolerance. We also hear it from the Jewish community of Azerbaijan, with which we maintain good relations. We think it is really like that and certainly Azerbaijan may serve an example for other countries, especially in the Muslim world. We need such a model of tolerance. We want to tell everyone, especially, the world Jews, about what is going on in Azerbaijan, as I want to repeat that in this region Azerbaijan is an important country and a model of tolerance to us and the present-day world really needs such a model.
/Day.Az/