Azerbaijan officially informs US of termination of USAID activities

Azerbaijan's Foreign Ministry has officially informed Washington of the termination of the activities of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) in Azerbaijan, citing the lack of legal grounds for its operations in the country.

In a statement responding to an inquiry from local media, Aykhan Hajizada, a spokesman for the Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry, confirmed the notification to the US side, per Caliber.Az.

Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov previously addressed the issue at a joint press conference with Georgian Foreign Minister Maka Bochorishvili. 

Bayramov stated that from June 1, 2024, USAID would no longer have any legal basis to operate in Azerbaijan. He explained that Azerbaijan had chosen not to extend the framework agreement signed in 2000, which regulated USAID's activities in the country.

The agreement had expired in February 2023, and the official decision not to renew it followed a thorough review of the agency's actions.

According to Bayramov, the audit revealed that USAID's activities were increasingly inconsistent with Azerbaijan's national interests. He explained, "In recent years, the agency's efforts were primarily aimed at advancing the US's own agenda, without regard for the needs and priorities of Azerbaijan." Bayramov further emphasized that the US administration had attempted to pressure Azerbaijan and impose its own terms.

"And when we made it fully clear for ourselves, after June 1, 2024, the Azerbaijani side decided not to extend the term of this agreement," Bayramov added.

By Tamilla Hasanova