Azerbaijan was "punished" by the US through the preservation of Section 907 for restoring its sovereignty in 2023, Azerbaijan's Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov said during a joint press conference with his Georgian counterpart Maka Bochorishvili, Report informs.
"In September 2023, Azerbaijan restored its sovereignty by conducting a 23-hour anti-terrorist operation on its sovereign territory. Shortly after, we witnessed attacks from the US that were incompatible with international law. There was a sanctions document in the US called Section 907 of the Freedom Support Act, adopted in 1992, whose effect on Azerbaijan had been suspended for many years. However, this suspension did not occur the last time, and after 20 years, Azerbaijan was sort of 'punished' specifically for restoring its sovereignty," Jeyhun Bayramov said.
The minister also commented on USAID's activities in Azerbaijan, noting that they largely promoted US interests.
"Despite this, Azerbaijan stated that if the US is interested in providing assistance to Azerbaijan, this assistance should be provided officially and with complete transparency," said Bayramov.
The minister added that from July 1, 2024, USAID's activities in Azerbaijan have been de jure impossible.
He recalled that a framework document had existed since 2000.
"We analyzed the provisions of this document and how their implementation occurred in recent years. It turned out that their activities [USAID] did not serve Azerbaijan's interests but were aimed at implementing the US agenda in Azerbaijan. Based on this, in accordance with the agreement's provisions, we sent notifications and declared our lack of interest in extending the agreement under current conditions," said Bayramov.
The minister stated that this agreement was set to expire in February 2024.
"During this period, messages were received from the US at the highest level about continuing cooperation within USAID. We informed the opposite side about the need for negotiations on conditions and sent our proposals to the US in writing. However, from February to June, the US tried to dictate their terms and impose them on Azerbaijan, without considering our country's legitimate interests. Given this, the Azerbaijani side decided not to extend this agreement anymore," added Bayramov.
In this regard, the minister said: "It's time to stop their activities. There is no need for further presence and representation of USAID in Azerbaijan, and the moment for complete cessation of their activities has already come."