On 18 March, the US President Joseph Biden sent a congratulatory message to the President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev on the occasion of the upcoming Novruz holiday, reported Turan.  

Wishing good luck and prosperity to Azerbaijan, Biden notes that "this period of renewal provides an opportunity to emphasize our readiness for cooperation and commitment to peace." The message also underscored that the US administration was ready to work with Azerbaijan towards regional peace and related concerns. 

“As a co-chairing country of the OSCE Minsk Group, we are ready to help the parties in resolving the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict and we remain loyal to the efforts to achieve reconciliation between Azerbaijan and Armenia,” the message read. “The United States is also committed to supporting the development of the Azerbaijani economy and supports efforts to develop energy projects in the Caspian Sea,” it added.

Parallel to Biden’s congratulatory message, the Azerbaijani President issued a decree pardoning several hundred convicts. Some have had their prison sentences reduced, and some will be released. The total number of those pardoned was 625. Of the 625 pardoned: 1) 475 would be immediately released, 2) the term of imprisonment for 98 convicts was reduced by half, 3) the term of imprisonment for 3 life-sentenced prisoners was reduced to 25 years, 4) 2 were exempted from suspended sentences, 5) 3 were released from the deferred punishment, 6) 9 were exempted from the restriction of freedom, 7) 12 were released from correctional labour, and 8) 23 people were exempted from fines.

Amongst the pardoned were also those who were considered political prisoners, 38 to be precise. 28 of those released were convicted in the case of the riots in the Nardaran settlement in 2015. 

Four members of the Popular Front Party were also released, among them journalist Elchin Ismail. One person convicted in the 2018 Ganja riots case was also released. Also, one Islamist convicted of protesting against the ban on wearing the hijab at school, and another political prisoner who has a political emigrant relative living abroad was also released.