President Biden notified Congress that he is extending a waiver that allows US military aid to Azerbaijan despite recent fighting in the Nagorno-Karabakh region. The waiver applies to Section 907 of the Freedom Support Act and has been renewed every year since 2002.
The waiver requires the Secretary of State to ensure that the military aid would not contribute to conflict in the region. But US military assistance to Baku in recent years almost certainly played a role in fueling the fighting in Nagorno-Karabakh that broke out last year that killed thousands, and pushed back ethnic Armenian forces.
While the US claimed to be neutral in the fighting between Armenian and Azeri forces over Nagorno-Karabakh, it delivered a disproportionate amount of aid to the Azeri side. The Trump administration presided over a significant increase in military aid to Azerbaijan. From 2016 to 2017, the Azeris received $3 million in aid from the US. From 2018 to 2019, the number increased to around $100 m
Biden waving restriction blocking aid to Azerbaijan over Armenia conflict – The Hill
U.S. President Biden has notified Congress the administration is extending a waiver allowing U.S. assistance to Azerbaijan that was originally restricted over Baku’s conflict with Armenia and tension over the territory of Nagorno-Karabakh.
The waiver applies to Section 907 of the Freedom Support Act and its renewal which has happened annually since 2002 which allows the U.S. to provide military assistance to Azerbaijan so long as the secretary of State certifies that such assistance does not contribute to conflict in the region, The Hill reports.
In a notification to Congress obtained by The Hill and sent on April 26, Secretary of State Antony Blinken certified that such assistance to Azerbaijan would not “undermine or hamper ongoing efforts to negotiate a peaceful settlement between Armenia and Azerbaijan or be used for offensive purposes against Armenia.”
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4 May in 12:20
Joe Biden s administration extended the suspension of Amendment 907 to the Freedom Support Act, which means direct US assistance to Azerbaijan is allowed, The Hill reports.
Earlier, US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken informed Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev about the extension of the 907th amendment’s suspension in a telephone conversation.
Blinken notified the US Congress of the suspension extension and noted that aid to Azerbaijan would not interfere with ongoing efforts to peacefully resolve the Karabakh conflict. He stressed that assistance is necessary to strengthen the security of Azerbaijan s borders.
The US Congress adopted this amendment in 1992; it prohibited the US from providing government assistance to Baku in connection with the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.
15:28 • 04.05.21
By Laura Kelly
US President Biden has notified Congress the administration is extending a waiver allowing US assistance to Azerbaijan that was originally restricted over Baku’s conflict with its neighbor Armenia and tension over the disputed territory of Nagorno-Karabakh.
The waiver applies to Section 907 of the Freedom Support Act and its renewal which has happened annually since 2002 allows the U.S. to provide military assistance to Azerbaijan so long as the secretary of State certifies that such assistance does not contribute to conflict in the region.
In a notification to Congress obtained by
The Hill and sent on April 26, Secretary of State Antony Blinken certified that such assistance to Azerbaijan would not “undermine or hamper ongoing efforts to negotiate a peaceful settlement between Armenia and Azerbaijan or be used for offensive purposes against Armenia.”