Armenians, Azerbaijan add new lobbying companies

The lobbying armies on both sides of the long-running dispute over the region of Nagorno-Karabakh in the South Caucasus have added new personnel in recent weeks, according to DOJ filings. Both the Azerbaijanis and the Armenians retained firms founded by former members of Congress, though in both cases the former lawmakers are not listed as working on the accounts.

— Moran Global Strategies, which was launched by former Rep. Jim Moran, has signed the National Democratic Alliance of Armenia, a political party in Armenia seeking to counter Russian influence in the country and forge closer ties with the West.

— Elias Gerasoulis, who previously lobbied for the NDA at his old firm, the Livingston Group, will provide strategic advice and lobby Congress and the executive branch. He will also liaise with outside groups like think tanks, nonprofits, the media and the Armenian-American diaspora, per documents filed with DOJ on Thursday. NDA will pay the firm $6,000 per month for the work, the filings show.

— Earlier this month, Skyline Capitol, the lobbying firm started by former Rep. Chris Stewart shortly after leaving Congress last year, registered to lobby for the Azerbaijani government.

— Dain Hansen will work to “deepen relationships” between the Azerbaijani Embassy and Washington leaders, in part by making inroads with members of the House and Senate foreign affairs committees, key appropriations subcommittees, the Armed Services committees and Rules committees. It will also arrange trips for lawmakers and Hill staffers to visit Azerbaijan and will work to grow the Congressional Azerbaijan Caucus.

— According to a copy of the contract filed with the Justice Department, the firm has also been tasked with “identifying potential champions for stronger partnership with Azerbaijan in both the House and the Senate and actively involving them in advancing the U.S.-Azerbaijan partnership.” (Of course one such champion on the Hill, Rep. Henry Cuellar (D-Texas), recently found himself under federal indictment for allegedly abusing his position in Congress to benefit the Azerbaijani government — charges Cuellar denies.)

— Stewart, who is still in a one-year “cooling off” period during which he’s barred from representing foreign governments, is not listed in DOJ filings, which show Skyline Capitol’s contract with the embassy will be worth $50,000 per month for six months.