Congressman David G. Valadao and Co-Chairs of the Congressional Caucus on Armenian Issues Pen Letter to Secretary Blinken Raising Concerns Over Section 907 Waiver for Azerbaijan

WASHINGTON - Today, Congressman David G. Valadao and 31 of his colleagues sent a letter to Secretary Antony Blinken raising concerns over the Administration's decision to waive the longstanding statutory restriction on U.S. aid to Azerbaijan under Section 907 of the Freedom Support Act. Azerbaijan's attack on Armenians living Nagorno-Karabakh last fall, the continued detention of Armenian prisoners of war six months after the conflict, and other destabilizing actions in the region are inconsistent with the provisions of the Section 907 waiver and demonstrate the need for significant changes to the Administration's waiver process to prevent further U.S. aid from going to Azerbaijan until they make verifiable changes.

"Not a single American tax dollar should be sent to the armed forces of oil-rich Azerbaijan - a country that ethnically cleansed Artsakh, holds Armenians POWs, and now occupies territory in the Republic of Armenia," said Congressman David Valadao. "President Biden should immediately withdraw his waiver of Section 907 and, if he won't, Congress should statutorily prevent any and all U.S. arms or aid to the Aliyev regime. The alternative - continuing to ship U.S. military aid to Baku despite its ongoing anti-Armenian aggression - sends Aliyev the green light to escalate his attacks."

"Armenian Americans from Fresno and across California's Central Valley join with our community and coalition partners across America in thanking Congressman Valadao and his fellow Co-Chairs of the Armenian Caucus for working to stop all U.S. arms and aid to Azerbaijan's oil-rich Aliyev regime," said ANCA Executive Director Aram Hamparian. "Amid Baku's escalating aggression, we are especially appreciative of the strong bipartisan leadership of Congressman Valadao, who has traveled to Artsakh, witnessed first-hand the challenges its people face, and championed U.S. aid to this at-risk population."

“The U.S. has provided over $100 million in aid from American taxpayer dollars to Azerbaijan, which is being used by the Aliyev regime to destabilize the South Caucasus region with its aggressive and unchecked actions,” said Armenian Assembly of America Congressional Relations Director Mariam Khaloyan. “We urge the Administration and Congress to uphold the letter and spirit of Section 907.”

The letter can be found here.

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