US State Department Suspends Military Aid to Azerbaijan

The US has suspended military and other forms of assistance to Azerbaijan, canceling several high-level visits, signaling to Baku that bilateral relations will not normalize until progress is made in negotiations with Armenia. This was announced by James O'Brien, the US Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs.

“We have made it very clear that nothing will be normal with Azerbaijan after the events of September 19 (referring to Azerbaijan's assault on Artsakh) until we see progress on the path to peace. Therefore, we have canceled certain high-level visits, condemned Baku's actions, and will not waive the conditions for further assistance until we see real improvement in the situation,” the diplomat stated during hearings in the US House of Representatives Foreign Affairs Committee regarding the situation in Nagorno-Karabakh.

“We have repeatedly signaled that the use of force on Armenian territory is absolutely unacceptable,” O'Brien noted. He acknowledged that Azerbaijan has informed the US that there are no such intentions. “The authorities in Baku have assured us that they have no such intentions. And we are closely monitoring troop movements and any signs that might indicate other plans. As I mentioned, we have told them that there will be no opportunity to return to normalcy until a peace agreement is signed,” emphasized the US State Department official.