The United States – Azerbaijan Chamber of Commerce (USACC) is a

not-for-profit A nonprofit organization (NPO) or non-profit organisation, also known as a non-business entity, not-for-profit organization, or nonprofit institution, is a legal entity organized and operated for a collective, public or social benefit, in co ...

lobbying In politics, lobbying, persuasion or interest representation is the act of lawfully attempting to influence the actions, policies, or decisions of government officials, most often legislators or members of regulatory agencies. Lobbying, whic ...

group aiming to develop long-term business ties between the firms in the United States and

Azerbaijan Azerbaijan (, ; az, Azərbaycan ), officially the Republic of Azerbaijan, , also sometimes officially called the Azerbaijan Republic is a transcontinental country located at the boundary of Eastern Europe and Western Asia. It is a part of th ...

and attract US investment to Azerbaijan.

Mission

The mission of the USACC is to facilitate and encourage investment and trade between US and Azerbaijan; provide a medium for interaction for NGOs, business firms and

think tank A think tank, or policy institute, is a research institute that performs research and advocacy concerning topics such as social policy, political strategy, economics, military, technology, and culture. Most think tanks are non-govern ...

s from these countries; assist and promote commercial objectives of businesses investing in Azerbaijan; promote Azerbaijan's potential; sponsor educational programs, trade missions, seminars, conferences and publications; enhance understanding between the two nations by establishing and developing cultural links. In September 2000, USACC founded Azerbaijan Trade and Cultural Center (ATCC) to stimulate intercultural ties between United States and Azerbaijan. Many businesses, including ones from

Fortune 500 The ''Fortune'' 500 is an annual list compiled and published by ''Fortune (magazine), Fortune'' magazine that ranks 500 of the largest United States Joint-stock company#Closely held corporations and publicly traded corporations, corporations by ...

Companies are members of USACC. USACC has been the driving force behind world's longest oil pipeline, Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan and Baku-Tbilisi-Erzurum gas pipeline, operational today. The chamber actively promoted commercial links in agriculture, construction, information technology,

alternative energy Renewable energy is energy that is collected from renewable resources that are naturally replenished on a human timescale. It includes sources such as sunlight, wind, the movement of water, and geothermal heat. Although most renewable energy ...

and tourism.

Leadership

The Chamber is chaired by T. Don Stacy, co-chaired by James A. Baker, IV (

Baker Botts Baker Botts L.L.P. is an American law firm of around 725 lawyers. Headquartered in One Shell Plaza in Downtown Houston, Texas, the firm has energy and technology related clients. It is referred to as the second-oldest law firm west of the Mi ...

, LLP) and Reza Vaziri (R.V. Investment Group). Honorary Council of Advisors include former Secretary of State James Baker III, former

National Security Advisor A national security advisor serves as the chief advisor to a national government on matters of security. The advisor is not usually a member of the government's cabinet but is usually a member of various military or security councils. National sec ...

to U.S. President

Zbigniew Brzezinski Zbigniew Kazimierz Brzeziński ( , ; March 28, 1928 – May 26, 2017), or Zbig, was a Polish-American diplomat and political scientist. He served as a counselor to President Lyndon B. Johnson from 1966 to 1968 and was President Jimmy Carter' ...

, former Secretary of State and Assistant to U.S President on National Security Affairs

Henry Kissinger Henry Alfred Kissinger (; ; born Heinz Alfred Kissinger, May 27, 1923) is a German-born American politician, diplomat, and geopolitical consultant who served as United States Secretary of State and National Security Advisor under the presid ...

, former Assistant to U.S. President on National Security Affairs

Brent Scowcroft Brent Scowcroft (; March 19, 1925August 6, 2020) was a United States Air Force officer who was a two-time United States National Security Advisor, first under U.S. President Gerald Ford and then under George H. W. Bush. He served as Military A ...

, former

Chief of Staff The title chief of staff (or head of staff) identifies the leader of a complex organization such as the armed forces, institution, or body of persons and it also may identify a principal staff officer (PSO), who is the coordinator of the supporti ...

to the U.S. President, John Sununu.

Board of directors

* Shapoor Ansari, MD, * Halim Ates, CEO, Telia Sonera * Farhad Azima, Chairman and CEO, Aviation Leasing Group * Scott Blacklin, Vice President,

Cisco Systems Cisco Systems, Inc., commonly known as Cisco, is an American-based multinational digital communications technology conglomerate corporation headquartered in San Jose, California. Cisco develops, manufactures, and sells networking hardware, ...

* Betty Blair, Editor,

Azerbaijan International ''Azerbaijan International'' is a magazine that discusses issues related to Azerbaijanis around the world. It was established in 1993 shortly after the dissolution of the Soviet Union when Azerbaijan gained its independence. Since then, it has bee ...

Jahangir Hajiyev Jahangir Fevzi oglu Hajiyev ( az, Cahangir Fevzi oğlu Hacıyev ; born 26 October 1961) is an Azerbaijani former banker and convicted fraudster. He was the chairman of the International Bank of Azerbaijan from 2001 until he resigned in March 20 ...

, Chairman,

International Bank of Azerbaijan ABB (from az, Azərbaycan Beynəlxalq Bankı ; formerly known as International Bank of Azerbaijan), the largest bank in Azerbaijan, is an open joint-stock company whose shares are owned by the Azerbaijan state. History ABB OJSC was founded on ...

* Albert Marchetti, Vice President,

Hess Corporation Hess Corporation (formerly Amerada Hess Corporation) is an American global independent energy company involved in the exploration and production of crude oil and natural gas. It was formed by the merger of Hess Oil and Chemical and Amerada Petrol ...

* Greg Saunders, Director, International Affairs, BP * Diana L. Sedney, Manager, International Government Relations,

Chevron Chevron (often relating to V-shaped patterns) may refer to: Science and technology * Chevron (aerospace), sawtooth patterns on some jet engines * Chevron (anatomy), a bone * '' Eulithis testata'', a moth * Chevron (geology), a fold in rock la ...

* Michael White, Azerbaijan Country Manager,

ExxonMobil ExxonMobil Corporation (commonly shortened to Exxon) is an American multinational oil and gas corporation headquartered in Irving, Texas. It is the largest direct descendant of John D. Rockefeller's Standard Oil, and was formed on November 3 ...

* Gregory K. Williams, Strategic Security Manager,

Coca-Cola Bottling Co. The Coca-Cola Company is an American multinational beverage corporation founded in 1892, best known as the producer of Coca-Cola. The Coca-Cola Company also manufactures, sells, and markets other non-alcoholic beverage concentrates and syrups, ...

* Ali Agan, CEO, Azercell Telekom * Ian M. Davis, Vice President,

Occidental Petroleum Corporation Occidental Petroleum Corporation (often abbreviated Oxy in reference to its ticker symbol and logo) is an American company engaged in hydrocarbon exploration in the United States, and the Middle East as well as petrochemical manufacturing in the ...

* Robert Moran, Vice President,

Halliburton Halliburton Company is an American multinational corporation responsible for most of the world's hydraulic fracturing operations. In 2009, it was the world's second largest oil field service company. It has operations in more than 70 countries ...

Former directors include former Vice President of the United States,

Dick Cheney Richard Bruce Cheney ( ; born January 30, 1941) is an American politician and businessman who served as the 46th vice president of the United States from 2001 to 2009 under President George W. Bush. He is currently the oldest living former ...

and former Deputy Secretary of State, Richard Armitage.

References

External links

USACC Official Website
{{authority control Azerbaijani-American culture Chambers of commerce in the United States Organizations established in 1995 Political advocacy groups in the United States