Congressman Frank Pallone`s statement  following talks at the White  House

ArmInfo.  Congressman Frank Pallone has called the US decision to waive Section 907 against Azerbaijan  a mistake  (Freedom Support Act - a provision of American  legislation adopted in 1992 that prohibited the US government from  providing military and technical assistance to the government of  Azerbaijan). He wrote about this in his blog on X, commenting on  yesterday's meeting between the leaders of the US, Armenia and  Azerbaijan in Washington.

While welcoming the progress achieved in normalizing relations  between Armenia and Azerbaijan during the meeting in the White House,  he noted, however, that the existence of a transportation corridor  across the southern region of Armenia poses problems. The congressman  expressed hope that direct U.S.  involvement would lead to a just,  lasting peace agreement and the end of  the economic blockade of  Armenia by Azerbaijan and Turkey.

He noted that any final agreement should also include solid  enforcement mechanisms to guarantee security for Armenia should  Azerbaijan break  its terms. <In this context, it is a mistake  for  the U.S.  to waive Section 907 of the Freedom Support Act. There is  no reason to provide Azerbaijan with military assistance to >,  Pallone emphasized.

The congressman also noted that more can and must be done to push  Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev to release Armenian prisoners of  war and political prisoners  in Baku, and remove his troops from the  sovereign territory of Armenia. Pallone also mentioned the people of  Artsakh. He noted that the United States has a moral imperative to  ensure the safe, dignified, and sustainable return for  displaced  Armenians to their indigenous homeland, Nagorno-Karabakh.