2024-07-12 14:33:30
Author: Elchin Alioglu
Source: Trend
Samantha Power, the head of the USAID, stands out for her position and activities regarding Armenia. His cooperation with the Armenian lobby and his defense of Armenia’s interests are often discussed. Power’s cooperation with the Armenian lobby, relations with the Armenian billionaire Ruben Vardanyan, who is currently in prison in Baku, and the motives behind his statements about Armenia have already become clear, accurate and concrete facts.
Samantha Power is recognized as one of the main figures defending the interests of Armenia. His cooperation with the Armenian lobby and his defense of Armenia’s interests are often discussed. Power’s activities, especially his statements and actions defending the interests of Armenia, continuously raise questions about his connections with the Armenian lobby.
S. Power often makes statements defending the interests of Armenia. For example, he claims that Azerbaijan is “carrying out a policy of ethnic cleansing” against Karabakh Armenians and exposes its very close ties with the Armenian lobby.
However, US officials in negotiations with Azerbaijan have clearly stated that there are no such cases.
Just this incident shows that the motives behind S. Power’s statements are being questioned.
As an example of Samantha Power’s cooperation with the Armenian lobby, we can mention her relations with Ruben Vardanyan. It is known that Vardanyan left Russia and went to Khankendi, where he became one of the leaders of the former separatist-terrorist junta, financed Armenian separatism and terrorism, and threatened Azerbaijan with terrorist attacks.
S. Power’s close cooperation with V. Vardanyan, of course, indicates the USAID head’s active contacts with certain institutions and functionaries of the Armenian lobby in the United States.
Power is a member of the “Aurora” award committee created by Vardanyan’s initiative, and Vardanyan is the sponsor of this award. These connections further question the motives of Power’s support for Armenia.
Samantha Power visited Armenia again this month. This was his second visit to Yerevan in a short time. Power, who visited Armenia in September last year, made provocative statements at that time. For example, he proposed the creation of an international observation mission in the territories liberated by Azerbaijan. Power said at a press conference in Yerevan that the United States has allocated more than $24 million in humanitarian aid to Armenia since 2020, and according to USAID’s calculations, the United States has added $3.3 billion to Armenia’s state budget. These statements demonstrate that Power defends the interests of Armenia and his close ties with the Armenian lobby.
During S. Power’s last visit, during his meeting with Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan in Brussels, he expressed his support for Armenia’s institutional reforms and stated that he would “constantly support the democratic development of the Armenian government.”
S. Power’s visits to Armenia and his support indicate his close relations with the Armenian lobby. For example, in November 2023, USAID’s Armenia office reported that the United States allocated an additional 4.1 million dollars in humanitarian aid for those affected by the events in Karabakh. This shows that Power has close ties with the Armenian lobby and defends the interests of Armenia.
It should be remembered that USAID is the largest aid organization in the world and its budget is about 27 billion dollars. For the years 2023-2025, 9 billion dollars have been allocated from the budget of this organization for “supporting the development of civil society in various countries”. USAID was established to support opposition organizations in various countries and provides various grants for this purpose. The United States, through this organization, aims to form a protest mood against the legitimate authority in various countries.
For example, USAID is known to be involved in the preparation of a coup d’état in Georgia. Georgia’s special services have released materials that prove that the trainings held in Tbilisi are related to the preparation of a coup d’état. These trainings were organized through USAID and taught activists how to challenge authorities and law enforcement agencies.
USAID tried to implement the same scenario in Azerbaijan. However, thanks to the unity of the people and the government, Azerbaijan foiled the plans of this organization and prevented it from manipulating the civil society. In November 2023, the assistant of the President of Azerbaijan, Hikmet Hajiyev, criticized the activities of USAID and stated that the activities of this organization in Azerbaijan had been terminated. Hajiyev wrote on his account on the “X” social network: “The masks have fallen! There is no place for USAID’s activities in Azerbaijan!”
Samantha Power and USAID operate widely in Armenia and defend the interests of this country. But this activity is against the interests of regional states and puts Armenia under the political influence of the United States.
Does the White House realize this?