Cheney goes to Azerbaijan. gets the finger from President Ilham Aliyev on energy deal

[Monk06]

Over the past few days, details have leaked out that indicate that Cheney’s September 3 visit to Baku was a spectacular diplomatic failure. . A report published by the Russian daily Kommersant, which cited sources within President Ilham Aliyev’s administration, said the Cheney visit started with a snub, as neither Aliyev nor Prime Minister Artur Rasizade were at the airport to greet the US vice president, who was the highest ranking American official ever to visit Azerbaijan. Instead First Deputy Prime Minister Yagub Eyubov and Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov greeted Cheney.

The visit apparently went down hill from there. Cheney publicly expressed Washington’s strong commitment to ensuring the continued flow of energy westward from the Caspian Basin to Turkey along routes not under the control of Russia. Privately, he pressed Aliyev to make a firm commitment to sending Azerbaijani natural gas to Europe via the long planned Nabucco pipeline. . Aliyev politely declined to take Cheney up on the offer.

"Aliyev made it clear that he values relations with Washington, but that he is not about to start an argument with Russia," the Kommersant report said, adding that Azerbaijani aides described Cheney as becoming "extremely irritated" by Baku’s decision to adopt a "wait-and-see position."

exerpt

http://www.eurasianet.org/departments/insight/articles/eav090808b.shtml


It seems that Central Asia countries have chosen sides on the Nabucco Pipeline after the Georgia debacle and they've decided in favor of Russia. Now the stans appear to have realigned with Russia
and the SCO

[ColbertWatcher]

1. "The stans" That always cracks me up!

Back to the subject: perhaps the locals trust locals?

The GOP has abandoned too many areas to the local brutes.

[notadmblnd]

2. hey Dick! How does it feel to be told to get fucked?

[eleny]

3. Azerbaijan got so screwed by the oil companies sucking the petro out of their lands

I remember reading Threlkeld's book "Dispatches from the Former Evil Empire". He had a chapter on Azerbaijan. The people were promised so much by the oil companies but got bupkus. That was for the oil being pumped out on land.

I don't blame them for giving Cheney the finger at this point. They know what he is even if many Americans refuse to see it.

[malaise]

4. The Stans have been pissed with Washington for some time

before the Georgia mess.

I'm no fan of Russia but this planet needs at least two superpowers...balance of power is always good.

[Monk06]

5. The world will be a better place with Europe, Russia and China putting

a stop to BushCo's ambition to rule the world.

The US had everything going there way after the
fall of the USSR but they just couldn't resist
the NeoCon siren song, "The world belongs to us"

[malaise]

6. Bingo n/t