US President Joe Biden has again decided to lift the ban on providing military assistance to Azerbaijan.
Biden's decision, not the first of its kind, adds confidence to Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev, who continues to hold Armenian prisoners, attack Karabakh and remains on the sovereign territory of Armenia.
Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev says: if revanchists in Armenia raise their heads, they should know what awaits them. On June 27, Aliyev made such a bellicose statement during a speech at a solemn ceremony dedicated to the transfer of the battle banner to the military unit of the special forces in the Kelbajar district of the republic.
"Therefore, we will continue to take serious steps to develop our army. New contracts have been signed for the purchase of the most modern weapons. These contracts are already being fulfilled, new weapons and the most modern equipment are being imported to Azerbaijan and will be imported, " Aliyev said.
Resolution 907 of the Freedom Support Act prohibits the US government from providing military assistance to Azerbaijan – this becomes possible only if the president circumvents this law and informs Congress about it. This has been done by all US presidents since 2002.
According to US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken, the export of ammunition to Baku is possible in support of Washington's efforts in the fight against international terrorism, but many experts and politicians are skeptical about the position of the White House. The Azerbaijani authorities, regularly receiving military assistance from the United States or any other EU member state, conceal not only the use of weapons against the Armenians of Nagorno-Karabakh, but also their sale to third countries, terrorists or on the black market.
After the 44-day war in 2020, there was a real opportunity to stop this process. As a candidate, Biden called on President Trump to stop providing assistance to Azerbaijan and not to circumvent resolution 907 in the future. However, after becoming president, Biden changed his views in favor of the interests of the American defense industry.
