President Biden notified Congress that he is extending a waiver that allows US military aid to Azerbaijan despite recent fighting in the Nagorno-Karabakh region. The waiver applies to Section 907 of the Freedom Support Act and has been renewed every year since 2002.
The waiver requires the Secretary of State to ensure that the military aid would not contribute to conflict in the region. But US military assistance to Baku in recent years almost certainly played a role in fueling the fighting in Nagorno-Karabakh that broke out last year that killed thousands, and pushed back ethnic Armenian forces.
While the US claimed to be neutral in the fighting between Armenian and Azeri forces over Nagorno-Karabakh, it delivered a disproportionate amount of aid to the Azeri side. The Trump administration presided over a significant increase in military aid to Azerbaijan. From 2016 to 2017, the Azeris received $3 million in aid from the US. From 2018 to 2019, the number increased to around $100 million. To compare numbers, in 2018, Armenia only received $4.2 million in security aid from the US.
Azerbaijan also enjoyed strong support from NATO-member Turkey and used Israeli drones and cluster bombs in the fighting. Last month, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev visited what he called a “park of trophies” that displayed hundreds of helmets that belonged to ethnic Armenian soldiers who were killed in the Nagorno-Karabakh fighting.
When the fighting was raging in Nagorno-Karabakh last fall, and Biden was running for president, he called on President Trump to cut off military assistance to Azerbaijan. Biden released a statement that said Trump should “fully implement and not waive requirements under Section 907 of the Freedom Support Act to stop the flow of military equipment to Azerbaijan.”
There has been a whole flurry of articles on supposed US control of Azerbaijan and even Azerbaijan being GROOMED by NATO for future wars! Where is all this coming from? A wishful thinking?
If this be the case why is US so furious at Turkey? Coup in 2016 was not the last shot, by no stretch of imagination . Currency attacks, generous support for PKK in Turkey, exporting PKK into Iraq and Syria.
Need proofs of that? Look no further then Iraq. Blatant support of PKK in Iraq made Peshmerga Kurds furious enough to collaborate with Baghdad. By conducting independence referendum, Peshmerga gave green light to Baghdad to oust American supported PKK in Kirkuk and Sinjar AND let Baghdad take over all Kurdish airport, border passes. There are now two Turkish bases in Iraq. Why were Peshmerga always on good terms with Erdogan? Because of US armed and directed PKK.
Why are Russia and Turkey still having joint patrols of Syria-Turkey border and crushing periodic attempts by PKK in Turkey — well supplied by NATO – to smuggle arms to Syria?
Turkey’s economy is afloat thanks to Russia (grains, energy, tourism, fruit and vegetable, construction, atomic energy, defense contracts) and China (major infrastructure, Silk Road electronic trading platform built by Turkey, financed by China).
Russia and Turkey are stabilizing the region, slowly but surely. Anyone noticed Saudi move towards Turkey and Iran? Anybody caring any more about Turkish base in Qatar? And Qatar is open Iranian ally, despite US air force base.
If we can with surety conclude that Turkey has become the hero in Azerbaijan, not Israeli drones — can we also WITH CONFIDENCE conclude that Turkey is in Azerbaijan in behest of NATO? It will take a flight of fantasy to imagine that!
And if we still think Turkey=NATO in Azerbaijan, why are heavy Russian forces present in Azerbaijan today to secure Nagorno-Karabakh AND corridor connecting it to Armenia? And why is joint Russian-Turkish Peace Monitoring Center established in Azerbaijan?
And, seriously, with such rabid hate of anything Shia present in US and Israel — that a Shia nation of Azerbaijan is ready to trust us?
At present, the deal Azerbaijan cut is with parties that are supportive – Turkey,, Russia and Iran in a truly REGIONAL solution, frequently repeated by Aliyev.
Russia will monitor corridor across Armenia to connect Azerbaijan exclave, but also giving Turkey much shorter land route to Azerbaijan and Central Asia.
US under Trump gave Israel privileges in selling weapons to Azerbaijan. Never say no to weapons. And in Azerbaijan, one can of course find cheerleaders for continued US-Israeli ties. They cannot be vocal though anymore.
Biden’s swipe at Turkey, recognizing genocide, is not an earthshaking move. It proves to Azerbaijan and Turkey public opinion already violently anti-American, that US is treacherous.
And the recognition did nothing to improve US standing in Armenia. US was no show when Armenia was losing the war. All the color revolution produced in Armenia in 2018 was alienation of Russia, with no tangible benefits to Armenia.
And the provocation Armenia surely regrets now looks awfully like equally stupid provocation Saaskavili in Georgia performed in 2008. And losing South Ossetia and Abkhazia. US no show there as well.
What is status right now? Turkey and Russia are in control. Even if one can make the case that Turkey is an exemplary US ally — this would hardly be a reason for such self-congratulatory boasting of “success” in Azerbaijan.
I have no clue where this persistent fantasy is coming from. Is it just another one “lets hate Turkey” bandwagons? I recommend less enthusiasm — and more fact based assessments.