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Azerbaijan has officially declined to renew its cooperation agreement with the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov announced on Thursday.
Speaking at a press conference alongside his Georgian counterpart, Bayramov revealed that Baku had suspended ties with USAID as far back as June 2024, accusing the agency of advancing US political agendas under the guise of development assistance.
“USAID has no place in Azerbaijan anymore,” said Hikmet Hajiyev, a senior adviser to President Ilham Aliyev, in response to remarks by USAID Administrator Samantha Power. Power had criticised Azerbaijan’s military operation in Nagorno-Karabakh, claiming it haf “forced more than a hundred thousand people to leave their homes and move into neighbouring Armenia.”
USAID, a key arm of US international development and humanitarian efforts, describes its mission as promoting democratic values, peace, and prosperity worldwide to support American foreign policy. However, Azerbaijani officials have accused the agency of overstepping its developmental role and interfering in domestic affairs.
USAID has yet to comment on the development.
Azerbaijan is not the first nation in the post-Soviet region to sever ties with USAID. Russia halted the agency’s activities in 2012, citing similar concerns, while Abkhazia, a breakaway Georgian region backed by Russia, withdrew from USAID projects in 2023.
This marks another chapter in the growing rift between Baku and Washington, raising questions about the future of US-Azerbaijan relations and international aid operations in the region.
Melissa Enoch
The post Azerbaijan Ends Cooperation With USAID, Citing Political Agendas appeared first on Arise News.
