(MENAFN- Trend News Agency) BAKU, Azerbaijan, August 26.​ Azerbaijan is simultaneously laying the groundwork for lasting peace with Armenia while advancing its strategic partnership with the United States to a new level, said the Azerbaijani Prime Minister, Ali Asadov, Trend reports.

Speaking at a special session dedicated to President Ilham Aliyev's historic visit to Washington, Asadov emphasized that the Washington visit marked a turning point, ushering Azerbaijani-US relations into a qualitatively new stage.

"The signing of the Memorandum of Understanding for the preparation of the Azerbaijan-United States Strategic Partnership Charter opens a new page of cooperation and strategic partnership in the development of interstate relations between Azerbaijan and America. The annulment, during the White House meeting, of the unfair Section 907 amendment to the 'Freedom Support Act' adopted by Congress against our country in 1992, after 33 years and in the presence of the head of the Azerbaijani state, is a clear confirmation of President Ilham Aliyev's exceptionally high prestige worldwide.

As President Ilham Aliyev said, 'Today, Azerbaijan does not need foreign assistance; we do not depend on it. Our economy is stable; our foreign debt is less than 7 percent of GDP. We have become a donor country ourselves.' Therefore, the cancellation of this amendment by President Trump carries symbolic meaning, and this gesture, by eliminating a historical injustice against Azerbaijan, reflects the special attitude of the American president towards President Ilham Aliyev.

In addition, within the framework of the visit, a memorandum of cooperation was signed between the State Oil Company of the Republic of Azerbaijan (SOCAR) and ExxonMobil, which represents the continuation at a new stage of the partnership that began within the framework of the 'Contract of the Century' and laid the foundation of the national oil strategy," he stated.

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