Sam Brownback: “Azerbaijan--section 907--is the only country from the former Soviet Union that we have unilateral sanctions against. We…”

“Azerbaijan--section 907--is the only country from the former Soviet Union that we have unilateral sanctions against. We are not lifting those sanctions by this amendment. We are allowing a national interest waiver to the President which is the same as the rest of the Freedom Support Act. In that sense, we will put Azerbaijan--which is at the gateway to much of the Eurasian platform as far as connecting the countries together--on an equal footing with all of the countries that came from the rubble of the former Soviet Union. We seek peace in this region. It is important that we have a settlement in this region. This particular set of unilateral sanctions on Azerbaijan has been the United States policy since 1992. It has not led to peace since 1992. We are seeking to create an abundance of activity, on a multilateral basis, of all the countries in the region, causing them to work together, to lift each other up economically, democratically, and regarding human rights, as an area, an entire region, that is developing on those principles of a free democracy--free, independent status, and human rights.”