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.”
The decision is drawing condemnation from the Armenian American community as a betrayal following Biden's historic decision to recognize last month, for the first time, the Armenian Genocide.