Aliyev calls for repeal of Section 907, says U.S.-Azerbaijan ties have reached strategic partnership

Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev called for the repeal of Section 907 of the U.S. Freedom Support Act, saying the measure had become obsolete and no longer reflected current geopolitical realities.

Aliyev said the amendment, adopted by the U.S. Congress in 1992, had unfairly discriminated against Azerbaijan by restricting U.S. government assistance on the grounds that Baku was blockading Armenia.

He said the justification no longer existed because Azerbaijan and Armenia had initialled a peace agreement at the White House in the presence of U.S. President Donald Trump, while Azerbaijan had unilaterally lifted all transit restrictions on Armenia.

According to Aliyev, tens of thousands of tonnes of cargo have since been transported through Azerbaijan to Armenia, and Azerbaijan has also started supplying petroleum products to its neighbour.

Aliyev said Trump had signed a one-year waiver of Section 907 in his presence during a White House meeting last August, but added that the amendment’s political symbolism remained and should be removed through its full repeal by Congress.

The president said relations between the Trump administration and Azerbaijan were “excellent” and had reached the level of a strategic partnership.

He said bilateral working groups were actively cooperating on trade and investment, digital transformation and artificial intelligence, energy security and connectivity, as well as defence and security.

Aliyev also said the United States had lifted restrictions on arms supplies to Azerbaijan, followed by the United Kingdom and European Union member states.

He added that he was aware of analysts describing Azerbaijan as a “middle power”, but said the criteria for such a designation should be more clearly defined.

N.Tebrizli