AnalyticsTop

Inside Azerbaijan’s effort to flout FARA – POLITICO

Azerbaijan recently asked Washington lobbyists that it was considering working with to not register under FARA (Foreign Agents Registration Act) for work they considered necessary to register for, POLITICO reports.

According to the source, the country has worked with the Friedlander Group since February 2023, paying the firm $41,666 per month to “enhance US-Azerbaijan relations,” according to FARA records, which show numerous informational materials that the firm has sent to congressional staffers and other influencers and Capitol Hill roundtables that the firm has facilitated.

But the two lobbyists told POLITICO that the country was not happy with the firm’s progress on issues important to Azerbaijan. For instance, when a top Azerbaijani official visited Washington earlier this year, he felt slighted because his meetings with top Biden administration officials were canceled, according to one of the people.

That discontent in part led Azerbaijan to talk with at least one other firm in the last year. But when Deputy Foreign Minister Elnur Mammadov told the firm that the contract was contingent on there being no FARA registration, the firm backed away and didn’t attend a meeting to discuss the potential contract at the embassy, according to the lobbyist.

Another lobbyist who was going to work with the new firm said they were also asked to set up meetings that they believe would have violated FARA. The two spoke on condition of anonymity given the sensitive nature of the discussions.

POLITICO reminds that in May, Texas Democratic Rep. Henry Cuellar was charged with taking bribes from an oil and gas company owned by the government of Azerbaijan and seeking to use his post in Congress to benefit Azerbaijan’s government — accusations Cuellar denies.

Asked for comment, Azerbaijani embassy spokesperson Jamila Mammadova said in a statement to POLITICO: “We would like to underscore that our respective work is strictly within the U.S. legal framework. In regard to U.S.-Azerbaijan relations, Azerbaijan sees deep value in bilateral relations between the two countries and we continuously engage with U.S. counterparts to advance our relations.”

The Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA) is a United States law that imposes public disclosure obligations on persons representing foreign interests. It requires “foreign agents”—defined as individuals or entities engaged in domestic lobbying or advocacy for foreign governments, organizations, or persons (“foreign principals”)—to register with the Department of Justice (DOJ) and disclose their relationship, activities, and related financial compensation.

Show More
Back to top button