Next year, a new agreement on military-technical cooperation is expected to be signed between the United States and Azerbaijan. In particular, the sale of weapons by the US to Azerbaijan may materialize. This indicates that bilateral relations have reached a qualitatively new stage.
One of the main factors hindering the deepening of cooperation between the two countries is Amendment 907, added to the "Freedom Support Act" adopted in 1992, which restricts direct state aid from the US to Azerbaijan. This amendment has caused political and legal problems in Washington-Baku relations for many years.
It is precisely in this context that the Donald Trump administration has initiated a process in Congress to repeal Amendment 907. Against the backdrop of the current political dynamics, the repeal of this amendment seems realistic starting next year. Naturally, parallel to this, the Armenian Assembly of America has launched active lobbying efforts in Congress to maintain the validity of Amendment 907.
Additionally, US President Donald Trump is expected to appoint an ambassador to Azerbaijan next year, which also indicates the political importance Washington attaches to its relations with Baku. US-Azerbaijan relations are expected to develop dynamically and advance to a new stage.
Attempts by Russia and the Armenian lobby to prevent this process will be strategically unsuccessful. Regional geopolitical realities and the increasing interests of the US in the South Caucasus make cooperation with Azerbaijan inevitable.
Məhəmməd Əsədullazadə,
political commentator
