Erin Robertson, a spokeswoman for the U.S. Embassy in Azerbaijan, responded to a Voice of America inquiry regarding Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov’s January 16 statement that the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) will no longer be de jure able to operate in Azerbaijan after June 1, 2024.
The response states that the United States looks forward to continuing its dialogue with the Azerbaijani government.
“USAID has provided more than $450 million in assistance to the Azerbaijani people since 1991 in partnership with the Azerbaijani government. The humanitarian partnership, which began in the post-Soviet era, is focused on meeting the evolving needs of the Azerbaijani population in line with the stated goals of the Azerbaijani government. Over time, USAID has partnered with the Azerbaijani government to support the fight against COVID. Our cooperation has included modernizing key sectors of the economy, including agriculture and health, supporting rural livelihoods and resilient communities, combating human trafficking, creating opportunities for women and girls, and strengthening regional economic integration. We are engaging with the Azerbaijani government to agree on new areas of cooperation and partnership. We look forward to continuing our dialogue with the Azerbaijani government to reaffirm our partnership that has lasted for more than 30 years,” said Erin Robertson, spokesperson for the US Embassy.
Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov, in response to a question from Azerbaijan State Television at a joint press conference with Georgian Foreign Minister Maka Bochorishvili in Baku on January 16, said that there is no basis for USAID to continue its presence in Azerbaijan.
According to Bayramov, Azerbaijan was punished by the United States for restoring its sovereignty after the anti-terrorist operation in 2023.
“The time has come for their (USAID) activities to be completely stopped. "Because during the negotiations we saw that the US does not take into account the interests of Azerbaijan and tries to act in its own interests by dictating. There is no need for the continuation of USAID's presence and representation in Azerbaijan, and the time has come to completely stop its activities," the minister noted.
Politics
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Mark Libby, who is concluding his diplomatic mission in Azerbaijan as the U.S. Ambassador, delivered a final message, which was published on the U.S. Embassy's Facebook page.
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Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev met with the Turkish Minister of Foreign Affairs, Hakan Fidan
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Mark Libby has concluded his diplomatic mission as the U.S. Ambassador to Azerbaijan, according to a statement posted on the U.S. Embassy's account on the social media platform X.
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A preparatory hearing in the case of former leaders of the Karabakh separatists began the day before at the Baku Court Complex. The case is being heard by a panel of judges chaired by Zeynal Agayev, the judge of the Baku Military Court.The accused were provided with lawyers and Armenian language interpreters, AZERTAC reported. Six prosecutors participated in the court session as state representatives.
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