Political expert: US State Department seeks support of Armenian lobby in upcoming elections

The US State Department's decision to include Azerbaijan in the watchlist of countries that commit serious violations of religious freedom can only be explained by the desire to gain the support of the Armenian lobby in the upcoming presidential elections.

"It should be understood that the largest number of electors is given by the state of California, where the largest Armenian community in the US lives, which numbers from one and a half to two million people. Moreover, this community is quite wealthy and influential," Moses Becker, PhD in political science and an expert on interethnic religious relations, told Report.

According to the political scientist, now there is a struggle for every vote, for every voter, so the inclusion of Azerbaijan in this list is a political game.

"If we talk about the living conditions of religious communities in the territory of Azerbaijan, namely the Jewish community, we have never experienced any restrictions in this regard. Even during the Soviet era, the Jewish community of Azerbaijan enjoyed sufficient freedom. It is worth recalling that in 1972, by decree of national leader Heydar Aliyev, a matzah bakery was built to bake matzah for all Jews of Azerbaijan," Becker emphasised.

The political scientist noted that every year President Ilham Aliyev signs an order to allocate quite large funds for all major religious communities.