As Congress debates legislation (H.R. 6534) to repeal Section 907 of the FREEDOM Support Act, we must consider why Congress should pass the repeal now.

For decades, Section 907 has imposed an unfair and counterproductive restriction on U.S. policy toward Azerbaijan. Passed in 1992 as part of the first assistance package to the newly independent former Soviet states, it restricted direct U.S. government assistance to Azerbaijan until Baku’s economic blockade and military action against neighboring Armenia ceased.