President Joe Biden authorized the provision of military assistance to Azerbaijan, which was initially limited due to the conflict between Baku and Armenia and tensions over the disputed territory of Nagorno-Karabakh, The Hill reported.

The waiver applies to Section 907 of the Freedom Support Act, and its renewal, which has occurred annually since 2002, allows the United States to provide military assistance to Azerbaijan if the Secretary of State certifies that such assistance is not conducive to conflict in the region.

In a notification to Congress received by The Hill and sent on April 26, Secretary of State Antony Blinken confirmed that such assistance to Azerbaijan would not "undermine or hamper ongoing efforts to negotiate a peaceful settlement between Armenia and Azerbaijan or be used for offensive purposes against Armenia."

This decision provokes condemnation of the American Armenian community as a betrayal after Biden's historic decision to recognize the Armenian Genocide for the first time.

“American recognition of the Armenian Genocide comes with responsibilities, among them not arming or abetting Azerbaijan’s drive to complete this crime,” Armenian National Council of America Executive Director Aram Hamparian said in a statement.

“Any action by President Biden that greenlights U.S. aid to [Azerbaijan President Ilham Aliyev’s] regime runs counter to his clear stand and, more profoundly, the spirit of his recent recognition of the Armenian Genocide,” he added.