The 44th President of the United States Barack Obama – the first African American President of the country – was sworn in on Tuesday before the U.S. Capitol Hill and offered an inaugural address. Hundreds of thousands of people watched the inauguration ceremony. After the inauguration ceremony the new president Barak Obama made a speech before Capitol Hill. Afterwards he and first lady Michelle Obama saw off ex-president George Bush with his family to the helicopter taking them back to Texas. President Obama’s coming from Capitol Hill to the White House was accompanied by a festive parade.
Azerbaijanis living in the U.S. were among those who congratulated Barack Obama on his victory. The authoritative newspaper the Washington Post published the U.S. Azeris Network (USAN) `s special statement, congratulations and appeal to new President, his Administration and the Members of Congress in its special inauguration edition on January 20. In the statement it was stressed that USAN was ready to assist government on any issue relevant to the Caspian region. According to the statement, “Azerbaijani-Americans, as well as the entire Turkic-American community, look forward to working with the new Administration and Congress, as well as state and local officials, on all issues important for the community and the country, its prestige, standing and image in the world, and to promote our cause.”
It also says that “our key aspiration is the liberation of all occupied Azerbaijani lands through the peaceful resolution of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict on the basis of Azerbaijan`s territorial integrity. We believe that one of our most important objectives as a community of people tracing their heritage to Azerbaijan is to educate our government and lawmakers to assist in enhancement of the bilateral ties between Azerbaijan and the United States. Azerbaijani Americans support the long term strategic allied relations between the United States and Azerbaijan, and we fully encourage the development of bilateral cooperation between our nation and all Turkic nations.”