Politics 15:33 04/02/2025 Armenia

Why Aliyev outpaced Elon Musk

In mid-January, Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov announced that the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) had no place in Azerbaijan anymore and its activities had to be halted.

Since 1991, USAID had invested $431 million in Azerbaijan, funding humanitarian aid, healthcare and various economic and governance reforms. However, Aliyev accused USAID of "Azerbaijanophobia" and "Turkophobia" as USAID Administrator Samantha Power had cooperated with the Aurora Humanitarian Initiative.

This indicates that Azerbaijan, alongside the sham trial of the leaders of the Artsakh Republic, has adopted a strategy of outright denial regarding the Armenian Genocide, effectively dismissing the crime and any mention of it altogether.

It is crucial to highlight this again in order to expose the true nature of Azerbaijan’s policies. At first glance, the termination of USAID’s operations in Azerbaijan may seem unrelated to Nikol Pashinyan’s comments on the Armenian Genocide, but bitter experience shows that public statements by Aliyev and Pashinyan often share common ground.

One of the first "innovations" made by Donald Trump after his return to the White House was an order freezing most USAID grants for 90 days and halting the allocation of new grants.

Now, American entrepreneur Elon Musk, who heads the U.S. Government Efficiency Department, called the USAID a “criminal organization” that should “die”. Musk, the founder of SpaceX and Tesla Motors, used X to call the agency “a viper’s nest of radical-left marxists who hate America.”

The effectiveness of Musk’s statements remains questionable. However, it is clear that his comments followed a conflict with two USAID security officials (according to the Associated Press), suggesting that efficiency is not the primary focus in these matters.

Georgia surprisingly emerged unscathed from this financial turmoil by adopting the foreign agents law that cut off much of the foreign funding but simultaneously provided compensation to organizations running social programs to continue their operations. It’s a straightforward solution… yet a complex one.

As for Armenia, the situation is once again complicated. Some people revel in the apparent ineffectiveness of grant-dependent organizations, while others believe that "the clever fox finds many ways to survive", meaning that alternative funding sources will eventually be found.

The question is what will come with these new funds? After all, the saying "search for the woman" (from the French cherchez la femme) has long been replaced by "follow the money".

Anait Voskanyan



Source Panorama.am
Share |
Տեքստում սխալ կամ վրիպակ նկատելու դեպքում, ուղարկեք խմբագրին հաղորդագրություն` նշելով տվյալ սխալը, այնուհետև սեղմելով Ctrl-Enter:

Newsfeed

17:13
Gold traders in Yerevan protest against tax hike
Gold traders in Yerevan once again gathered outside the Armenian government building on Thursday to protest against the recent tax hike...
16:35
Armenian-Azerbaijani peace process not stalled, deputy FM says
Armenian Deputy Foreign Minister Vahan Kostanyan claims the Armenian-Azerbaijani peace process has not come to a standstill, reiterating...
16:05
ZCMC strike: A provocation by ‘dark forces' or a labor dispute?
The protest by employees of the Zangezur Copper-Molybdenum Combine (ZCMC) in Armenia’s Syunik Province, which many initially viewed...
14:33
Japanese man starts dating agency after 2,000 failed dates
A man in Japan established a dating agency to help others in navigating the complexities of love after experiencing 2,000 unsuccessful blind...
14:02
ANCA urges Tulsi Gabbard to investigate U.S. complicity in Artsakh ethnic cleansing
The Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA) on Wednesday congratulated former U.S. Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard on her confirmation as...
13:36
Armenian church commemorates Prophet Jonah
The Armenian Apostolic Church on Thursday commemorate the Prophet Jonah, one of the minor prophets. The minor prophets are not considered...
13:26
Azerbaijan files arbitration claim against Armenia
Azerbaijan has filed a lawsuit against Armenia in the Hague Arbitration Court, accusing Armenia of environmental destruction in...
12:46
Which pro-government circles are cashing in on ZCMC workers' social issues?
Production operations at the Zangezur Copper-Molybdenum Combine (ZCMC) in Kajaran, Armenia, have resumed after a strike that lasted more...
11:32
All major highways open to traffic in Armenia
All interstate and republican highways are currently open to traffic across Armenia. The roads connecting the Amberd high mountain...
11:14
White House spox says she's unaware of preconditions for Putin-Trump meeting
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said she was not aware of any preconditions set for a possible meeting between Donald Trump and...
17:00
Political analyst reveals what Pashinyan's 'Real Armenia' really means
Political analyst Stepan Danielyan has revealed the true essence of the "Real Armenia" concept promoted by Armenian Prime Minister...
16:35
Snow in store for Valentine's Day
Dry weather is expected across Armenia today. Snow is forecast for most parts of the country late on February 13 and 14 marked as...
16:20
Armenia reaping benefits from EAEU now – Kremlin
Some countries have spent decades waiting to join the European Union (EU), while Armenia is currently reaping significant benefits from its...
15:59
Opposition MP dismisses EU membership bid as unrealistic
The pro-government majority in the Armenian National Assembly on Wednesday approved a bill seeking to launch the process of Armenia’s...
15:11
Constantine Tassoulas elected as new president of Greece
Greece's parliament elected its former speaker, Constantine Tassoulas, as the country's president on Wednesday, approving the...
14:51
Opposition MP blasts Armenian speaker's remarks on Artsakh people
Opposition Hayastan faction MP Mher Mekonyan strongly criticized National Assembly Speaker Alen Simonyan’s recent remarks on the Artsakh...
14:16
Armenian parliament majority approves EU accession bill
The pro-government majority in the Armenian National Assembly on Wednesday approved a bill seeking to launch the process of Armenia’s...
13:49
Artsakh president slams Armenian parliament speaker's comments
Artsakh President Samvel Shahramanyan has denounced the Armenian parliament speaker's recent remarks on the Artsakh people and its...
13:12
Trump fires USAID inspector general
The inspector general of the US Agency for International Development was fired on Tuesday, a day after his office released a report critical of...
12:45
Ex-ombudsman: Armenia's ruling party thrives on division
Former Ombudsman Arman Tatoyan accused the leadership of Armenia’s ruling Civil Contract party of “dividing people, spreading hatred...
12:13
Producer Ruben Mkhitaryan announces run for Gyumri mayor to beat Pashinyan's team
Public figure and producer Ruben Mkhitaryan has announced his decision to run for mayor of Gyumri, Armenia's second largest...
11:30
Armenian GMs secure 2nd and 3rd places at Al-Beruniy Chess Tournament
Armenian GMs Shant Sargsyan and Haik Martirosyan took 2nd and 3rd places respectively at the 2nd International Chess Tournament Al-Beruniy held...
11:15
Poland says Russian military aircraft briefly violated its airspace
Poland's army said a Russian aircraft briefly violated the airspace over the NATO country's territorial waters Tuesday in the latest...
11:04
Erdogan is said to be the descendant of a Greek Pro-Armenian anarchist
By Harut Sassounian www.TheCaliforniaCourier.com Over the years, many articles have appeared in the Turkish press claiming that various...
17:35
Azerbaijan trying to force new concessions on Armenia, MP warns
Azerbaijan has turned the sham trial of 23 Armenian prisoners illegally held in Baku into a propaganda tool and a means of justifying war...
16:35
Russia ready to facilitate Armenia-Azerbaijan normalization, Kremlin says
Moscow is ready to facilitate the Armenian-Azerbaijani settlement process but would welcome independent efforts of the conflicting sides,...
16:13
'You could have stayed and fought', Armenian speaker tells Artsakh reporter
An Artsakh journalist questioned Armenian National Assembly Speaker Alen Simonyan about the possibility of returning to Artsakh in the...
15:30
Temperatures to rise significantly across Armenia
Dry weather is expected across Armenia on Tuesday and Wednesday. Snow is forecast for most parts of the country later this week. The...
15:05
Mysterious portrait revealed beneath Picasso painting
Art historians studying a painting by Pablo Picasso have uncovered the mysterious portrait of a woman, hidden beneath its surface, CNN...
14:45
Activist accuses Armenian law enforcement of attack cover-up
Opposition activist Artur Chakhoyan has accused Armenian law enforcement officers of concealing material facts related to an attack on him....

Follow us and get updates!

Most popular articles

{"core.blocks.header.spell_message1":"Selected mistake: ","core.blocks.header.spell_message2":"Send a message about the mistake?"}