I have the honour to join
previous speakers in congratulating you, Sir, on your
election to the post of President of the General
Assembly at its sixty-fifth session; I wish you every
success in that highly responsible post. I would like as
well to thank your predecessor, Mr. Ali Abdussalam
Treki, for his productive work. I also express my
profound respect and gratitude to the Secretary-
General, His Excellency Mr. Ban Ki-moon, for his
leadership and dedication in reviving the Organization.
Azerbaijan recognizes the central role of the
United Nations in maintaining international peace and
security, promoting sustainable development and
advocating fundamental freedoms for the people of the
world. Azerbaijan believes that the United Nations has
to be stronger and more capable in engaging in a range
of global issues in every part of the world, as well as in
addressing the aspirations and concerns of each
Member State.
As a country suffering from the devastation of
war and occupation, Azerbaijan strongly believes that
faithful observance of universally accepted norms and
principles of international law concerning good-
neighbourliness, friendly relations, cooperation among
States and the fulfilment in good faith of the
obligations assumed by States are of the greatest
importance for the maintenance of international peace
and security. The ongoing armed conflict between
Armenia and Azerbaijan still represents a major threat
to international and regional peace and security. The
conflict has resulted in the occupation of one fifth of
the territory of Azerbaijan and has made approximately
one out of every nine people in my country an
internally displaced person or a refugee.
It has been internationally recognized that the
Republic of Armenia bears the primary responsibility
for occupying Azerbaijan’s territories, committing the
most serious international crimes during the conflict,
carrying out ethnic cleansing and trying to create a
mono-ethnic culture in the captured Azerbaijani
territories. The Security Council has adopted four
resolutions and has expressed its full support for the
sovereignty and territorial integrity of Azerbaijan and
the inadmissibility of the use of force for the
acquisition of territories. It has also recognized that
Nagorny Karabakh is part of Azerbaijan and has called
for the immediate, full and unconditional withdrawal
of the occupying forces from all occupied territories of
Azerbaijan. The General Assembly and other
international organizations, including the Organization
for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), the
Council of Europe, the European Parliament and the
Organization of the Islamic Conference, have adopted
similar positions. Unfortunately, despite the
consolidated position of the international community,
Azerbaijani territories continue to remain under
occupation.
Armenia so far, instead of negotiating in good
faith with a view to finding a durable solution to the
conflict as soon as possible, has preferred escalation,
with unpredictable consequences. Despite ongoing
political efforts towards the earliest possible resolution
of the conflict, activities in the occupied areas of
Azerbaijan are in gross violation of international law
and serve to further consolidate the current status quo
of the occupation, securing the results of ethnic
19 10-54833
cleansing and colonization of the captured territories,
and causing serious obstruction to the peaceful
resolution of the conflict.
Thus, over the period since the beginning of the
conflict, significant numbers of settlers have been
encouraged to move into the occupied areas
depopulated of their Azerbaijani inhabitants. In 2005
OSCE dispatched a fact-finding mission to the
occupied territories of Azerbaijan, which found
evidence of the presence of settlers there and made a
call to discourage any further settlement of the
occupied territory of Azerbaijan. Measures are also
being consistently undertaken by Armenia with the
purpose of altering the historical and cultural features
of the occupied areas in an attempt to remove any signs
testifying to their original Azerbaijani cultural and
historical roots. As a result, not a single Azerbaijani
historic or cultural monument has been left undamaged
and no sacred site has escaped vandalism in the
occupied territories. Implantation of settlers as well as
destruction and appropriation of the historical and
cultural heritage in the occupied areas, along with
various other forms of illegal activity there, directly
affect the property rights of internally displaced
persons.
The lack of agreement on political issues, the
protracted nature of the conflict and prolonged
negotiations should not be used as pretexts for not
addressing other problems deriving from continued and
deliberate disrespect for international humanitarian law
and international human rights law in connection with
the conflict.
The earliest possible resolution of the armed
conflict in and around the Nagorny Karabakh region of
Azerbaijan remains a primary task for us. The OSCE
Minsk Group Co-Chair countries are engaged in efforts
to bring peace and stability to the region. Resolution of
the conflict envisages the withdrawal of Armenian
forces from the occupied Azerbaijani territories within
a fixed time framework, restoration of all
communications, return of all refugees and internally
displaced persons to their places of origin, international
security guarantees, including peacekeeping forces, and
interim status for Nagorny Karabakh. We are ready to
continue the talks in good faith for finalizing the status
of Nagorny Karabakh within the Republic of
Azerbaijan.
The step-by-step approach introduced to Armenia
and Azerbaijan in December 2009 by the OSCE Minsk
Group Co-Chairs is accepted by Azerbaijan in principle
as a basis for achieving a lasting resolution of the
Armenia-Azerbaijan Nagorny Karabakh conflict.
Unfortunately, Armenia is still delaying a definite
answer to the Co-Chairs’ proposal.
Azerbaijan highly appreciates the principled
stand of Member States on issues of vital importance
for Azerbaijan pertaining to its sovereignty and
territorial integrity. We rely on the continued solidarity
of the international community with the just position of
Azerbaijan and on valuable support for our initiatives
within the United Nations, aimed at addressing the
existing challenges in an impartial, open and
comprehensive manner.
Despite the unresolved conflict over Nagorny
Karabakh and occupied territories, the Government of
Azerbaijan has succeeded in guaranteeing political
stability, democratic development, economic prosperity
and social welfare in the country. Today, Azerbaijan is
one of the most rapidly developing economies in the
world. Within the last five years alone, Azerbaijan has
nearly tripled its gross domestic product. The strategic
geographic location of Azerbaijan at the intersection of
major trade routes along the emerging East-West and
North-South transport and energy corridors provides an
important asset to turn the country into an energy and
infrastructure hub.
Azerbaijan possesses considerable proven oil and
natural gas reserves and has good prospects for new
discoveries. Modern infrastructure for transporting
hydrocarbons to international markets has already been
created in Azerbaijan and has been used for exporting
oil and natural gas, which can diversify supply sources
and strengthen international energy security. This is
particularly crucial for gas supplies. With proven
reserves of 2 trillion cubic metres of natural gas and a
potential of up to 5 trillion cubic metres or, and
perhaps even more, Azerbaijan is ready to provide its
own contribution to ensure the stable development of
the world natural gas market.
Another globally important project, on which
Azerbaijan is working very intensively with its
neighbours is building and enhancing the regional
railroad infrastructure. This railroad connection will
open an enormous opportunity for transporting all
kinds of cargo between Asia and Europe.
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As a very active member of the Extractive
Industries Transparency Initiative, Azerbaijan, in an
open and transparent manner, uses its energy revenues
for the development of the country, particularly in
building human capital and working to eradicate
reducing poverty. Thus, we were able to achieve a
dramatic poverty reduction, from 49 per cent in 2003
to 11 per cent in 2009. And I strongly believe that
through sustainable development Azerbaijan will attain
even more in this field in upcoming years.
Azerbaijan has always been a place of
coexistence and tolerance among different faiths,
ethnic groups and philosophies. As an active member
of the Group of Friends of the Alliance of
Civilizations, Azerbaijan contributes to the promotion
of inter-religious and intercultural dialogue based on
mutual respect and understanding. Azerbaijan hosted
the World Summit of Religious Leaders, with
participants from 32 States, in the spring of this year
and has put forward an initiative to host a world forum
for intercultural dialogue in April 2011.
One of the most serious and long-term challenges
that can affect every part of the globe is climate
change. We in Azerbaijan proclaimed 2010 a year of
ecology and adopted various special programmes in the
field of environmental protection.
Azerbaijan demonstrates full support and
undertakes ceaseless efforts for the promotion of
sustainable development and global prosperity for all,
paying particular attention to addressing the special
needs and vulnerabilities of the developing and least
developed countries, as well as of those who are
recovering from natural disasters. Azerbaijan will
continue to contribute to the realization of the
Millennium development goals and objectives agreed
within the United Nations.