Katie Porter: “Tonight I have requested some time to bring to the attention of my colleagues an important visit to Washington which is…”

“Tonight I have requested some time to bring to the attention of my colleagues an important visit to Washington which is taking place right now. Tomorrow President Heydar Aliyev of Azerbaijan will meet with President Clinton at the White House to discuss United States-Azeri relations and the ongoing negotiations concerning the situation in the Caucasus. This visit has serious implications for our policies and interests in the region, and I am hopeful that it will be used to further the interests of peace. Azerbaijan is rich in oil and natural gas resources and there are numerous United States companies which are actively seeking to assist in the development of these resources. I believe very strongly that United States companies have the technology and know-how to bring about this development in a way that ultimately would be most beneficial to the Azeri people. But these companies, and their representatives in Washington, have been pushing very hard to reshape U.S. policies in this region.”