When the official visit of the Azerbaijani President Heydar Aliyev opened a new era in the Baku-Washington relations, it displeased mostly the Armenian lobby in America. During the meetings in Washington the parties signed an investment agreement and oil contracts worth of eight billion dollars with four big companies of the U.S.

As the first Azerbaijani president who has ever paid an official visit to Washington, Heydar Aliyev received the full support of the U.S. administration for the abolition of Section 907, which banned direct American humanitarian aid to Azerbaijan, and for the solution of the Garabag conflict. The joint statement, which followed a three-hour talks, said that the parties had come to an agreement to develop and strengthen the bilateral relations. The Clinton administration supported the territorial integrity of Azerbaijan, the democratic developments in the country, and it was said that the bilateral friendly were important for the establishment of the idea of immediate solution of the Garabag conflict peacefully on the principles of the Lisbon Summit of the OSCE.

The Armenians are in confusion

The documents note that Section 907, adopted under the pressure of the Armenian lobby in America, which bans direct humanitarian aid to Azerbaijan, restricts the potential of relations of these two countries. They emphasize the fact that President Clinton fully supports the abolition of that Section.

Speaking about the democratic and economic reforms started by Heydar Aliyev, Clinton stressed the necessity of democracy, creation of free market relations and respect for human rights for the stability of Azerbaijan.

Bill Clinton and Heydar Aliyev were also of the same opinion on the issues of bilateral economic and trade relations and exploitation of the energy resources in the Caspian basin. The U.S. also supports the active integration of Azerbaijan to the newly founded security structures in Europe.

An investment agreement was signed during the talks. Mutual investment agreement provides the free mobility of the obtained profits. Azerbaijan also signed an eight billion dollar oil contract with the U.S. companies Exxon, Mobil, Chevron and Amoco.