Rep. Brad Sherman
Representative Brad Sherman, a member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee and the Congressional Armenian Caucus, voiced his disagreement with the Biden’s Administration’s decision to waive Section 907 of the Freedom Support Act, which among other measures, restricts U.S. military aid to Azerbaijan.
“We should not abandon Section 907 and provide any assistance to oil-rich Azerbaijan, which has unleashed an aggressive war. The aid we provide is not large, but I think it is important diplomatically, so it should be stopped,” Sherman, a California Democrat, told Voice of America.
In his opinion, American aid for humanitarian projects in Artsakh should be increased, and Armenia should be given the opportunity to be included in the “Millennium Challenge” program.
“The World Bank ranked Armenia among those with above average income. I would like it to be so, but we have to take into account the economic consequences of the terrible war, the coronavirus epidemic,” Sherman said.
On a related note, President Ilham Aliyev of Azerbaijan said on Monday that the U.S. can play an important role in normalization of relations between Yerevan and Baku.
“At a time when favorable conditions have been created for the establishment of stable peace and economic progress in the South Caucasus, we believe that the United States can play an important role in the normalization of relations between Armenia and Azerbaijan, the opening of communications, and the establishment of people-to-people ties,” Aliyev’s said in a message to President Joe Biden on Independence Day, the Russian TASS news agency reported.
Aliyev also expressed opinion that the U.S. can make a significant contribution to the process of preparing a peace treaty between Armenia and Azerbaijan.