Your trusted source

An Obama administration envoy held talks with Azerbaijani leaders on Tuesday in a bid to rally support for the UN sanctions imposed on Iran over its nuclear program. Stuart Levy, the US Treasury Department's undersecretary for terrorism and financial intelligence, told a news briefing after talks in Baku that the visit aimed to heed attention of the United States’ allies to Iran’s illegitimate actions and abuse of the world financial system, Azerbaijani media reported.

Levy met with the Azerbaijani president, Central Bank chairman, ministers of foreign affairs and finance as well as private sector representatives.

The Treasury Department official said the U.S. and Azerbaijan should bring closer their positions on Iran’s nuclear program.
“We believe that US and Azerbaijani interests in this area overlap,” Levy said. “Protecting Azerbaijan’s financial system from the threat posed by Iran aids bolstering the image of Azerbaijan’s finance sector.”

According to Levy, Iran poses a threat not only to the regional countries but the whole world. He said Azerbaijan should be particularly cautious considering its geographic proximity to Iran.