Azerbaijan Presidential Aide: No Place for USAID Operations in the Country Any Longer

Hikmet Hajiyev, Assistant to the President of Azerbaijan and Head of the Foreign Policy Affairs Department of the Presidential Administration, stated that there is no longer a place for USAID operations in Azerbaijan, The Caspian Post reports.

In a post on X, Hajiyev said: “Reminded of my post dated 21.11.2023. “Mask Off! There is no place for USAID operation in Azerbaijan any longer!”

The presidential aide made such a statement in November 2023 in response to USAID Administrator Samantha Power.

Earlier, Azerbaijan's Foreign Ministry officially notified the United States that the activities of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) in Azerbaijan have been terminated. The ministry cited the absence of legal grounds for USAID's operations in the country.

In response to a local media inquiry, Aykhan Hajizada, spokesperson for the Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry, confirmed that the US government had been informed of the decision.