Under Secretary for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence Levey Visits Azerbaijan

October 19, 2010

Under Secretary for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence Levey Visits Azerbaijan

United States Under Secretary for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence Stuart Levey visited Baku on October 19, where he met with President Ilham Aliyev, Chairman of the Central Bank Elman Rustamov, Minister of Finance Samir Sharifov, Minister of Foreign Affairs Elmar Mammadyarov, as well as Azerbaijani private sector leaders.

Under Secretary Levey briefed officials on the latest round of UN sanctions levied against Iran for its failure to live up to its international obligations, including Iran’s continuation of its illicit nuclear and missile programs.   Citing Azerbaijan’s strategic partnership with the United States, Levey stated that the goal of his visit was, “to consult with government officials on ways in which we can work together to protect the international financial system from Iran’s abuse and implement the mandate of UNSCR 1929.”

Under Secretary Levey also continued the U.S. Treasury’s ongoing dialogue with foreign governments and financial institutions on recent measures taken by the United States and others around the world to implement UNSCR 1929 as well as on the Comprehensive Iran Sanctions Accountability and Divestment Act (CISADA) enacted by the U.S. Congress.

Levey added that the United States’ and Azerbaijan’s interests are aligned on this issue, that protecting Azerbaijan’s financial system from the threat posed by Iran helps preserve the reputation of Azerbaijan’s financial sector and ultimately helps attract investment to Azerbaijan.

“With the strength of the measures taken thus far and the growing international consensus behind robust implementation of UN sanctions, we are creating the leverage we need to influence the calculations of Iran’s decision-makers and enhance our diplomatic options.  Our ultimate goal is to achieve a peaceful resolution of this issue,” Levey concluded.

On Tuesday evening, Levey will travel to Turkey for similar meetings with senior government officials and private sector leaders.