Tina Kaidanow

Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs

Interview with Jeyhun Asgarov of ANS TV
Baku, Azerbaijan
October 23, 2009

...This is my first trip to Azerbaijan, and it’s been, I think, a very fruitful and productive trip.  I had a chance to talk to... more 

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE

Office of the Spokesperson

2011 Diversity Visa Lottery Program Registration

The Department of State announces the opening of the registration period for the DV-2011 Diversity Visa lottery.  Entries for the DV-2011 Diversity Visa lottery must be submitted electronically between noon, Eastern Daylight Time (EDT) (GMT-4), Friday, October 2, 2009, and noon, Eastern Standard Time (EST) (GMT-5), Monday, November 30, 2009.  Applicants may access the electronic Diversity Visa entry form (E-DV) at www.dvlottery.state.gov during the registration period.  Paper entries will not be accepted.  Applicants are strongly encouraged not to wait until the last week of the registration period to enter.  Heavy demand may result in website delays.  No entries will be accepted after noon EST on November 30, 2009.

The congressionally mandated Diversity Immigrant Visa Program is administered on an annual basis by the Department of State and conducted under the terms of Section 203(c) of the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA).  Section 131 of the Immigration Act of 1990 (Pub. L. 101-649) amended INA 203 and provides for a class of immigrants known as “diversity immigrants.”  Section 203(c) of the INA provides a maximum of 55,000 Diversity Visas (DVs) each fiscal year to be made available to persons from countries with low rates of immigration to the United States.

The annual DV program makes visas available to persons meeting simple, but strict, eligibility requirements.  A computer-generated, random lottery drawing chooses selectees for DVs.  The visas are distributed among six geographic regions, with a greater number of visas going to regions with lower rates of immigration, and with no visas going to nationals of countries sending more than 50,000 immigrants to the United States over the period of the past five years.  Within each region, no single country may receive more than seven percent of the available DVs in any one year.

For DV-2011, natives of the following countries are not eligible to apply because the countries sent a total of more than 50,000 immigrants to the United States in the previous five years: BRAZIL, CANADA, CHINA (mainland-born), COLOMBIA, DOMINICAN REPUBLIC, ECUADOR, EL SALVADOR, GUATEMALA, HAITI, INDIA, JAMAICA, MEXICO, PAKISTAN, PERU, PHILIPPINES, POLAND, SOUTH KOREA, UNITED KINGDOM (except Northern Ireland) and its dependent territories, and VIETNAM.  Persons born in Hong Kong SAR, Macau SAR, and Taiwan are eligible. No countries have been added or removed from the list of eligible countries.  The list of eligible countries remains the same as for DV-2010. 

The Department of State implemented the electronic registration system beginning with DV-2005 in order to make the DV process more efficient and secure.  The Department utilizes special technology and other means to identify those who commit fraud for the purposes of illegal immigration or those who submit multiple entries.

For detailed information about entry requirements, along with frequently asked questions about the DV lottery, please see the instructions for the DV-2011 DV lottery available at www.dvlottery.state.gov

letter from U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton

"Dear Mr. President:

Congratulations to you and to the people of Azerbaijan on the occasion of the fifteenth anniversary of the signing of the "contract of the century" on September 20, 1994.

Promotion of international energy security remains critical for the Eurasia region. In this regard, the July 13 signing of the Nabucco inter-governmental agreement was a major milestone in our joint efforts to open the Southern Corridor, which will bring Caspian gas to Europe.  We hope that Azerbaijan, turkey, and other interested countries will be able to build on this Momentum and agree on those remaining issues needed to make the southern corridor a reality.

Azerbaijan is on the threshold of a new and even more promising phase of energy development, and we look forward to continuing to work with you and other leaders in the region to develop new oil and gas resources and new routes to bring those resources to market.

Sincerely yours,
Hillary Rodham Clinton”

The Ministry of Education of the Republic of Azerbaijan and the Embassy of the United States of America are pleased to announce the

Fulbright Student Program

This program is designed to provide opportunities for Azerbaijani youth to continue their education via master’s degree studies in U.S. universities. more

US Mission to OSCE Statement

The following statement was delivered by Kyle Scott, Charge d’ Affaires of the United States Mission to the OSCE, to the OSCE Permanent Council July 23, 2009.

Thank you, Madam Chairwoman.

Freedom of expression is a fundamental OSCE freedom and integral to the democratic process in every democratic country.  The United States is concerned about the recent arrest and detention of Azerbaijani NGO leaders Emin Milli and Adnan Hajizade.  We note reports that they were beaten and then detained pending trial, while their assailants explicitly were released.  We are also concerned by credible reports that the police initially denied Messrs. Milli and Hajizade access to their lawyers, and that they may be in need of further medical care.

We have raised our concerns with senior officials of the Government of Azerbaijan, including law enforcement officials, and will continue to do so.  We urge the Government of Azerbaijan to release Messrs. Milli and Hajizade pending trial.  We call on the Government of Azerbaijan to ensure that Messrs. Milli and Hajizade are granted proper access to legal assistance and medical care.  We also ask that the Government of Azerbaijan exercise due process.

We welcome recent positive steps taken by the Government of Azerbaijan this year, such as the release of several journalists from prison, and criticism by President Aliyev of the use of criminal courts for libel cases.

The United States remains committed to working together with the government and people of Azerbaijan to address the many challenges that remain to accelerate democratic reforms, including on freedom of expression and association, and the full range of OSCE commitments, which are integral to the democratic process in every State.

Thank you, Madam Chairwoman.

Embassy Statement