Azerbaijan, which is under fire for its sorry human rights record, has hired Republican advisor Liz Mair for PR services and related communications work.
Mair Strategies says it aims to garner "news coverage that will be seen by and impact various US government officials as well as the general public."
Mair, an Arlington, Va., based blogger and political commenter, is a former advisor to Texas Governor Rick Perry and handler of former Hewlett-Packard chief Carly Fiorina's online communications during her unsuccessful run for the Senate in California.
The firm has done work for Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker and Kentucky Senator Rand Paul.
Former corporate lawyer Mair was online communications director for the Republican National Committee in 2008.
Azerbaijan's US Ambassador Elin Suleymanov signed the six-month contract $90K contract with the firm. The pact is renewable every six months.
Western nations have courted energy-rich Muslim-dominated Azerbaijan, a former member of the Soviet Union, as an alternative to exports of Russian oil and gas.
Reuters reported today that 47-member Council of Europe said the situation of human rights activists is worsening in Azerbaijan due to a tougher crackdown by long-time leader Ilham Aliyev.
The report said the government is rounding up dissidents on trumped up "politically motivated" charges of hooliganism, tax evasion and drug possession.
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