Washington Discusses Suspension of Aid to Azerbaijan

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken addressed the issue of circumventing the ban on U.S. military aid to Azerbaijan during a Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing. This response came in reply to a question from the committee chairman, Democratic Senator Bob Menendez, regarding a decision made months ago.

Senator Menendez expressed his disappointment with the Biden administration's decision to bypass the active Section 907, which prohibits providing aid to Azerbaijan, including military assistance, following Azerbaijan's attack on Nagorno-Karabakh months earlier. He stated, “After this decision from the U.S. administration, Azerbaijan effectively violated the territorial integrity of the Republic of Armenia and has not released Armenian prisoners of war, which is a violation of international law. By allowing the assistance to Azerbaijan, we essentially gave them a green light.”

In response, Secretary Blinken stated that they will continue to evaluate the matter. “We will keep considering the issue. I have been actively working on this. Particularly concerning the return of captives and negotiations aimed at resolving the conflict,” said the U.S. Secretary of State, refraining from making further comments.