ANCA disappointed over Biden waiver of Congressional Sanctions on  Azerbaijan

ArmInfo.  President Joe Biden - who pointedly called on his predecessor to fully implement Section 907 sanctions against Azerbaijan - has moved to waive this  Congressional sanction, clearing the way for Biden-Harris  Administration assistance to the oil-rich and anti-Armenian Aliyev  regime, reported the Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA).  

"American recognition of the Armenian Genocide comes with  responsibilities, among them not arming or abetting Azerbaijan's  drive to complete this crime," said ANCA Executive Director Aram  Hamparian. "Any action by President Biden that greenlights U.S. aid  to the Aliyev regime runs counter to his clear stand and, more  profoundly, the spirit of his recent recognition of the Armenian  Genocide." The ANCA has been running an online campaign - urging  President Biden and the Congress to maintain section 907 restrictions  on U.S. aid to Azerbaijan.

In October of last year, amid a major Azerbaijani attack on Artsakh,  then-candidate Biden said: "The [Trump] administration must fully  implement and not waive requirements under Section 907 of the Freedom  Support Act to stop the flow of military equipment to Azerbaijan."  The ANCA has long held that Administrations - Democratic and  Republican - should refrain from waiving Section 907 of the FREEDOM  Support Act, a statute prohibiting U.S. aid to the government of  Azerbaijan until "the President determines, and so reports to the  Congress, that the Government of Azerbaijan is taking demonstrable  steps to cease all blockades and other offensive uses of force  against Armenia and Nagorno-Karabakh.

The ANCA has also called upon Congress to roll back its Section 907  waiver authority, requiring Azerbaijan to meet the original terms of  this law in order to be eligible for U.S.  assistance.  Section 907,  enacted in 1992, establishes statutory restrictions on U.S.  assistance to the Government of Azerbaijan "until the President  determines, and so reports to the Congress, that the Government of  Azerbaijan is taking demonstrable steps to cease all blockades and  other offensive uses of force against Armenia and Nagorno-Karabakh."  The Congress included a Section 907 waiver in the FY2002 Foreign  Operations, Export Financing, and Related Programs Appropriations  Act. The Section 907 waiver and subsequent annual extensions require  a number of certifications, including that granting the waiver "will  not undermine or hamper ongoing efforts to negotiate a peaceful  settlement between Armenia and Azerbaijan or be used for offensive  purposes against Armenia." The White House - exercising this waiver  authority - has provided U.S.  assistance to Azerbaijan ever since,  including, during the Trump Administration, high levels (nearly $120  million) of military and security aid. This assistance has been  provided without clear and consistent Congressional notifications.