No place for USAID operation in Azerbaijan any longer - Hikmet  Hajiyev

ArmInfo. Hikmet Hajiyev, Assistant to the President of Azerbaijan, responded to Samantha  Power, Director of USAID, on the social media platform X.

"During 30 years long occupation of Azerbaijan's land by Armenia when  million more Azerbaijanis were subject of notorious and bloody ethnic  cleansing the United States stood with aggressor state of Armenia.   Nowadays, the same policy continues in the same form and  manifestation.

"Pretending to academic or professional impartiality would be  incorrect, as professor of 'Human Rights' Practice at University  Samantha Power in her propaganda book 'A Problem from Hell: America  and the Age of Genocide (2002)' passed in complete silence over the  genocide and atrocities committed by Armenia against innocent  Azerbaijani civilians. As United States PermRep at United Nations  Security Council, she never dared to raise the plight of Azerbaijani  refugees and IDPs and demand implementation of UNSC resolutions, let  alone condemning occupation of Armenia.

"Under the umbrella of Aurora Prize, Samantha Power came together  with the founder of this fund, notorious oligarch and money launderer  Ruben Vardanyan who also financed separatism in Ukraine.   Interestingly, in 2019, European Parliament members demanded  sanctions against Troyka Dialogue Banker(s) founder - Ruben Vardanyan  for money laundering schemes. Ruben Vardanyan was also planning coup  d'etat against the United States supported political leadership of  Armenia after having established himself in Karabakh since October  2022.

"Azerbaijanophobia, Turkphobia, political corruption, 'moneytalkism',  and political speculations under the so-called Aurora prize were  probably shared values and interests between Ruben Vardanyan and  Samantha Power.

"Mask Off! There is no place for USAID operation in Azerbaijan any  longer!"

On November 21, the United States, through the U.S. Agency for  International Development (USAID), announced more than $4.1 million  in additional humanitarian assistance for people affected by the  situation in Nagorno-Karabakh. This additional funding brings total  U.S. humanitarian assistance for the Nagorno-Karabakh response to  nearly $28 million since 2020.

Azerbaijan's military operation in Nagorno-Karabakh between September  19 and 20 displaced more than 100,000 people into neighboring Armenia  and generated significant humanitarian needs.

With this additional assistance, USAID is supporting efforts on the  ground to provide urgently needed humanitarian assistance for almost  74,000 vulnerable refugees and displaced persons from Nagorno-  Karabakh who are sheltering in Armenia. This funding will increase  life-saving food assistance and provide humanitarian protection and  emergency shelter. 

The U.S. stands with civilians affected by Azerbaijan's military  operation and supports the Armenian government's efforts to help  those in need, reads a press release by USAID.