“Repeal of the 907th Amendment also serves US interests” Experts weigh prospects for new era in Azerbaijan–US ties

The speech by President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev at the 80th session of the UN General Assembly in New York also served as an important address to the U.S. legislative authorities. As the head of state emphasized, the Washington summit marked the beginning of a new phase in Azerbaijan–United States relations. According to him, this opens new horizons for partnership in politics, economics, energy, regional connectivity, defence, security, and other areas. Overall, the agreements reached during the Azerbaijani leader’s visit to the United States in August, in his view, carry historic significance.

“The waiver by President Trump of the sanctions imposed on Azerbaijan in 1992, in the form of the Section 907 of the Freedom Support Act, is a historic step as well,” said Ilham Aliyev.

He also emphasized that the final repeal of the 907th Amendment by the U.S. Congress would end a legacy of double standards, strengthen trust and cooperation, and come at a time when Azerbaijan is contributing to global security and stability.

Will President Aliyev’s message be taken into account in Congress and acted upon as a directive? How quickly could the 907th Amendment, which has hindered the development of full-fledged relations between Baku and Washington, be completely repealed?

Azerbaijani and American political analysts shared their views on these questions with Caliber.Az.

According to American political analyst Andrew Korybko, President Aliyev seeks to ensure that the new U.S. policy toward the South Caucasus, no longer influenced by the ultra-nationalist Armenian diaspora, will continue and not change in the future due to internal political upheavals, such as presidential or parliamentary elections. This explains his remarks on the final repeal of the 907th Amendment by Congress, although it cannot be said with certainty that this will happen in the near future.

"Although this serves Azerbaijan’s interests and, perhaps, the interests of the U.S. at present—at least as seen by the Trump administration—cynical representatives of America’s permanent political bureaucracy (‘deep state’) may adopt a so-called ‘wait-and-see approach.’ After all, repealing the 907th Amendment would deprive the United States of a leverage tool that could be used in the future should relations deteriorate and the U.S. decide to return to its previous pro-Armenian policy.

For this reason, while some members of the aforementioned bureaucracy may be willing to consider Aliyev’s proposal, the ultimate decision rests with Congress, among whose members there could well be both cynics and those guided by local electoral considerations, which in turn may be influenced by the Armenian diaspora and its lobbying activities," Korybko stated.

Meanwhile, Azerbaijani macroeconomist and management theory specialist Kamil Asgarkhanov believes that President Aliyev’s speech at the UN General Assembly, which also addressed the issue of repealing the 907th Amendment, serves as an important signal of a new phase in Baku–Washington relations. The suspension of the amendment, he notes, effectively indicates the end of the Armenia–Azerbaijan conflict.

"Why suspension? Only because a peace treaty has not yet been signed. I believe that once it is signed, the amendment will be fully repealed," the expert said, noting that today the influence of the Armenian lobby has already noticeably waned compared to structures promoting Azerbaijan’s interests.

Expanding on the topic, Asgarkhanov emphasized that the signing of the Memorandum of Understanding between the governments of the two countries on the creation of a Strategic Working Group to develop the Charter of Strategic Partnership between Azerbaijan and the United States demonstrates a smoothing of the disagreements between the parties, which have existed since Azerbaijan gained independence and were largely connected to the Armenian factor and its influence on U.S. administration decisions.

"Based on the president’s speech, one can be confident that this marks the beginning of a new era in Azerbaijan–U.S. relations, linked to the administration of Donald Trump and his plans regarding the Greater Middle East," Asgarkhanov said.