2022 Speech - Azerbaijan
| Session Number | 77 |
|---|---|
| Year | 2022 |
| Country | Azerbaijan |
| Country Code | AZE |
| Speech |
First, I would like to extend congratulations to you, Sir, on assuming the presidency of the General Assembly at its seventy- seventh session and wish you every success in that highly responsible capacity. You can count on the full support of the Republic of Azerbaijan throughout your tenure. I also wish to thank the outgoing President, His Excellency Mr. Abdulla Shahid, for his hard work over the past year.
Azerbaijan is well known for its contribution to promoting intercultural and interfaith dialogue. The Baku process launched in 2008 by the Government of Azerbaijan, together with the United Nations Alliance of Civilizations, the Council of Europe, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), the Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ISESCO) and others, has set standards and agendas for dialogue and intercultural cooperation. The important role of the Baku process in advocating dialogue among cultures has been recognized in the reports of the Secretary-General. Based on the successful experience of the Baku process, Azerbaijan, in partnership with the United Nations Alliance of Civilizations and ISESCO, launched in June 2021 a new international initiative entitled Peace4Culture Global Call, the aim of which is to contribute to sustainable peace, development and the protection of cultural heritage. We believe that this initiative will be equally successful, and invite all countries and international organizations to join this project. The world continues to face the serious challenges that the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic has raised. Despite the fact that expanding vaccination rates and the increasing adaptivity of the global population to new realities offer a glimpse of hope for the post-COVID period, serious challenges remain. All immediate and long-term challenges brought by the pandemic necessitate new mechanisms supported, by high-level political engagement, that would provide a comprehensive framework for global cooperation and solidarity. From the very beginning, Azerbaijan, in its national capacity and as Chair of the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM), has advocated greater global solidarity to overcome the pandemic and put forward a number of global initiatives to that end. The initiative of President Ilham Aliyev, in his capacity as Chair of the Non-Aligned Movement, to convene a special session of the General Assembly in response to the COVID-19 pandemic enjoyed broad support of the United Nations membership. On behalf of NAM, Azerbaijan also submitted resolutions on ensuring equal, affordable, timely and universal access to COVID-19 vaccines, which were adopted by the General Assembly and the Human Rights Council with the overwhelming support of Member States. Along with an effective vaccination campaign in the country, Azerbaijan has donated a significant number of COVID-19 vaccines to countries in need. We have provided international assistance to more than 80 countries to combat the pandemic. We will continue our endeavours aimed at further strengthening international cooperation in addressing the consequences of the pandemic and consolidating efforts for global recovery from COVID-19. The President of Azerbaijan, in that regard, has initiated the establishment of a high-level United Nations panel on post-pandemic global recovery, which will be among the topics to be elaborated on at the upcoming summit-level meeting of the NAM Contact Group in response to COVID-19, to be held in Baku in the coming months. Since gaining its independence, Azerbaijan has made a long journey, transforming from a country with imposed security challenges on its own soil into a contributor to global security. Along the way, Azerbaijan has been a strong and reliable partner of the United Nations, staunchly supported it and actively contributed to its activities. Both in its national capacity and as current Chair of the Non-Aligned Movement, Azerbaijan is keen to continue contributing to peace and security, strengthening the international legal order and enhancing dialogue, global solidarity and multilateralism. We also look forward to the Summit of the Future, its intergovernmentally negotiated outcome and a new agenda for peace as an opportunity to reinvigorate global action and reflect on collective commitment to the Charter of the United Nations and multilateralism. Azerbaijan is fully committed to the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. We have launched a new development strategy up to 2030, which goes hand in hand with the 2030 Agenda. Over the past year, Azerbaijan has progressed further in terms of its achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals and is ranked in the top 50 countries in the United Nations Sustainable Development Report 2022. Azerbaijan is among 12 countries that have submitted three voluntary national reviews to the High-level Political Forum, held under the auspices of the Economic and Social Council. We pursue transformational changes in remodelling our economy to make the transition to a green and circular economy. The clean environment and green growth have been identified as among the five priority areas of our new national development strategy. This transition stands high on our development agenda, despite the fact that the oil and gas sector plays a significant role in our economy. It is against that backdrop that the non-oil sector of Azerbaijan rose by 11 per cent in the first half of 2022, triggering an increase in our gross domestic product by 7.2 per cent. Currently, Azerbaijan is one of the few countries worldwide that are gradually mainstreaming sustainable energy into its development agenda, while being a reliable hydrocarbons exporter to international markets. We will increase our profile in that regard, including by introducing new elements of alternative and renewable energy as well. A recently concluded European Union-Azerbaijan memorandum of understanding on a strategic partnership in the field of energy is a good example of Azerbaijan’s constructive input into global energy security. Sustainability has also been mainstreamed in postconflict reconstruction and rehabilitation activities, including in the liberated territories. New cities and villages are now being built from scratch by applying modern urban planning methods, the concepts of “smart city” and “smart village”. After the war, $3 billion have already been allocated from the State budget for those purposes, and Azerbaijan is keen to invest even more in the future. The liberated area has been designated as a green energy zone. Positioned at the crossroads of North-South and East-West transport corridors, Azerbaijan is a rising transit country. Corridors and routes passing through Azerbaijan offer competitive advantages for transport operators and businesses in terms of high-end infrastructure and fast, secure transit traffic. This year marks thirtieth anniversary of admission of the Republic of Azerbaijan to membership of the United Nations. Since becoming part of the United Nations family, Azerbaijan has consistently demonstrated its strong commitment to the principles and purposes of the Charter of the United Nations and international law. We joined the United Nations at a time when the very principles, that the Organization stands for were being blatantly violated in relation to Azerbaijan. In those difficult times, the United Nations stood with Azerbaijan in defending the core values enshrined in its Charter. Azerbaijan suffered grievously from the aggression of Armenia in the early 1990s, at the core of which were groundless territorial claims, misinterpretations of international law, fabricated historical narratives and racist motivations. Back then, the Security Council unanimously expressed its support for the sovereignty, territorial integrity and inviolability of the internationally recognized borders of Azerbaijan, and demanded the withdrawal of all occupying forces from Azerbaijani territories, as did the General Assembly. In the course of its aggression, Armenia occupied 20 per cent of Azerbaijan’s territory. Twenty thousand Azerbaijanis were killed and more than 1 million became refugees and internally displaced persons (IDPs). Almost 4,000 citizens of Azerbaijan, civilian and military alike, remain missing in connection with the conflict. Armenia has inflicted long-term damage on the environment in Azerbaijan. Also, thousands of Azerbaijani cultural heritage objects have been destroyed, plundered or misappropriated by Armenia. Earlier this year, ISESCO sent a technical mission to Azerbaijan to undertake a post-conflict state of conservation assessment of the cultural heritage in its liberated territories. For decades, Azerbaijan has called on Armenia to support an independent, transparent UNESCO mission to assess and advise on the protection and preservation of cultural heritage in the region. Although the Armenian occupation of Azerbaijan’s territory ended in 2020, a UNESCO mission has yet to arrive, and I once again publicly call for such a mission. The scale of violations and destruction demonstrates a clear intent and purpose to terrorize, kill and expel Azerbaijani civilians and erase all traces of Azerbaijan from those territories. Within almost 30 years, Armenia, having committed ethnic cleansing, carried out an illegal settlement policy by transferring Armenians en masse from Armenia and third countries to the occupied territories of Azerbaijan, in blatant violation of international humanitarian law, with the aim of preventing Azerbaijanis from return to their places of origin and securing the annexation of these territories. Conflict resolution efforts under the auspices of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe yielded no results. Almost 30 years on, in the autumn of 2020, Azerbaijan, in response to yet another large-scale military provocation by Armenia and guided by the inherent rights conferred upon the Member States by the United Nations Charter, launched a counteroffensive operation. As a result, Azerbaijan liberated its territories and the three-decade armed conflict was resolved by military and political means, in line with the trilateral statement signed by the leaders of Azerbaijan, Russia and Armenia on 10 November 2020. The trilateral statement announced the end of all military activities between Armenia and Azerbaijan. It set the parameters for consolidating peace in the region, such as the complete withdrawal of all Armenian armed units from the territory of Azerbaijan, the return of displaced persons and the unblocking of all economic and transport connections in the region. Azerbaijan has now embarked upon unprecedented recovery and reconstruction activities in the liberated territories and prioritized their full reintegration. Such activities are aimed at finally enabling hundreds of thousands of internally displaced persons to return to their homes in safety and dignity and at ensuring a peaceful life in conflict-affected territories. The first families have recently returned to Aghali village, in the liberated Zangilan district of Azerbaijan. Azerbaijan is resolved to reintegrate its citizens of Armenian origin residing in conflict-affected territories into its political, social and economic space, guaranteeing them the same rights and freedoms enjoyed by all the citizens of Azerbaijan regardless of their ethnic, religious or any other affiliation. The Constitution of the Republic of Azerbaijan provides a solid legal framework in this regard. One of the major impediments to the ongoing recovery and reconstruction efforts and the safe return of displaced persons is a massive contamination of liberated territories by landmines and other explosive devices, and the continued refusal of Armenia to provide accurate and complete information on mined areas. Over the years of occupation of and during withdrawal of its forces from Azerbaijani territories, Armenia heavily and indiscriminately contaminated those areas with mines and other explosive hazards. Since the signing of trilateral statement, more than 240 Azerbaijani civilians and military have been killed or seriously injured by mine explosions. Obtaining the maps of minefields, along with targeted and sustainable international technical and financial assistance to further strengthen and increase national mine action capacities and efforts in Azerbaijan, will be critically important to saving lives and strengthening peace. Sustainable United Nations support and adequate and predictable mine action funding are indispensable. Azerbaijan is committed to regional peace, stability and development. The establishment of good- neighbourly relations between Armenia and Azerbaijan is key to building a secure, stable and prosperous South Caucasus through full-fledged regional normalization. Along with carrying out large-scale recovery and reconstruction works in the liberated territories, and pursuing the reintegration of residents in conflict- affected territories, Azerbaijan has initiated the process of normalizing inter-State relations with Armenia based on mutual recognition and respect for each other’s sovereignty and territorial integrity within their State borders. On numerous occasions, Azerbaijan has expressed its readiness to start negotiations on peace treaty between Armenia and Azerbaijan, and has established its national delegation to that end. Equally, Azerbaijan has undertaken efforts to start the process of the delimitation and demarcation of state borders between Armenia and Azerbaijan, unblocking transportation and communication links, including the establishment of the Zangezur corridor, which is a part of the international transportation network. Notwithstanding the increased dynamism in contacts, including direct dialogue between Armenia and Azerbaijan in recent months, Armenia seems to be sticking to its past practice of engaging in sham negotiations, and instead implementing its commitments in good faith, frequently resorts to provocations and sabotage to exacerbate tensions and undermine ongoing normalization process with Azerbaijan. Armenia has not fully withdrawn its armed forces from Azerbaijani territories, as stipulated by the 10 November trilateral statement, and continues a variety of military activities within the territories of Azerbaijan, including planting landmines. Recently, massive numbers of anti-personnel mines produced in Armenia in 2021 have been found in the Lachin district of Azerbaijan. Following a series of political and military provocations, especially after the fourth Brussels meeting between the leaders of the two countries, Armenia resorted to another large-scale military provocation along the undelimited State borderline in the night of 12 to 13 September, attempting to plant mines on the roads between the military positions of Azerbaijan, taking advantage of the night and the complex terrain. Later, Armenia, using weapons of different calibres, opened fire on Azerbaijani positions, which caused losses among the military personnel of Azerbaijan and inflicted significant damage on its military infrastructure. Azerbaijan took adequate measures to neutralize the threat against its sovereignty and territorial integrity and ensure the safety of its personnel, as well as civilian personnel involved in reconstruction works in the area. The armed forces of Azerbaijan demonstrated the utmost restraint and professionalism, and limited themselves to exclusively targeting Armenia’s firing positions with high-precision weapons to suppress its attacks on the positions of Azerbaijan. Armenia clearly attempted a further escalation to manipulate the attention of the international community. Thus, Armenia disregarded the ceasefire agreed on 13 September and continued shelling the territory of Azerbaijan, including with high-calibre weapons and artillery. As a result, Azerbaijan suffered further losses and casualties, included 80 servicemen killed and 282 servicemen and 2 civilians wounded. Contrary to such reckless actions of Armenia, Azerbaijan exercised the utmost restraint, took several steps, including through contacts with relevant international partners, and demonstrated good faith and genuine will to restore the ceasefire. Eventually the ceasefire was restored effective 8 p.m. on 14 September through direct communication channels between Armenia and Azerbaijan, and is being maintained, as confirmed by both sides. In the aftermath of the escalation, Azerbaijan has been engaged in addressing the humanitarian consequences. In that context, it declared its willingness to return to Armenia the remains of deceased military personnel on a unilateral basis, and informed the International Committee of the Red Cross accordingly. Azerbaijan is not and cannot be interested in tension. As a matter of fact, the latest hostilities erupted in close proximity to areas where impressive large-scale post-conflict investment, rehabilitation and reconstruction projects are under way. Furthermore, the latest escalation of tension fits very well into the pattern we have observed over the past 30 years from Armenia. Each time a decisive stage has been reached towards a breakthrough, Armenia has resorted to similar serious provocation as a mean of shirking the responsibility of taking necessary decisions. We would have wished that the current leadership of Armenia were not following the path of its predecessors by deliberately closing yet again the window of opportunity for peace and security in the region. Azerbaijan is resolute in further repelling any threat to its sovereignty and territorial integrity, as well as to the safety of its citizens, and urges Armenia to refrain from further escalating the situation. Instead, Armenia has to constructively engage in the ongoing normalization process in order to establish a predictable, stable situation in the region through the establishment of good-neighbourly relations. In that context, following the agreement reached at the fourth meeting of the leaders of Azerbaijan and Armenia with the President of the European Council, held on 31 August in Brussels, Azerbaijan reiterated to Armenia its readiness to start practical work on the peace treaty without further delay. Immediately after the meeting, we proposed a concrete date and venue to Armenia for such talks. Two days ago we listened to the statement delivered here by the Prime Minister of Armenia (see A/77/ PV.9). Regrettably, this was yet further evidence demonstrating that the Armenian side seems focused on continuing the confrontation instead of normalization. In Azerbaijan, we believe that our region has seen enough confrontation, destruction and suffering. It is high time for both our nations to engage fully and wholeheartedly in post-conflict normalization so that we can finally turn the tragic page of our history and start building a better future for our children. The commitment of the Azerbaijani side is there. We hope that Armenia will finally reciprocate constructively and engage genuinely in the negotiations. Having liberated its territories from a long-term foreign military occupation, Azerbaijan is determined to spare no effort towards their full reconstruction and reintegration, in accordance with the highest possible standards. At the same time, our country will continue to play the role of responsible member of the international community in all relevant fields, whether it is contributing to global energy security, helping fight the COVID-19 pandemic or promoting sustainable development. We believe that, in a globalized world, no country is an island, and we act accordingly. |