Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev, in an interview with Rossiya-1 TV channel, criticized U.S. sanctions policy against Azerbaijan.

The president noted that sanctions were imposed on Azerbaijan in 1992 under the false accusation that our country was blockading Armenia, even though Azerbaijani territories were under Armenian occupation.

As reported by AZERTAC, the president noted that sanctions were imposed on Azerbaijan in 1992 under the false accusation that our country was blockading Armenia, even though Azerbaijani territories were under Armenian occupation. He stated: "These sanctions were lifted in 2001 when the United States needed to transit its goods by air, land, and sea through Azerbaijan to Afghanistan. And every year, regardless of party affiliation, the U.S. president waived these sanctions until the United States fled from Afghanistan. After that, the sanctions were reimposed on us. When I accused them of ingratitude, I believe that it is not the harshest word that can be used in this context."