Azerbaijan

Mr. President, my Foreign Minister has asked me to read out his statement on his behalf. “Mr. President, it gives me great pleasure to congratulate you upon your election to the important post of President of this historic fiftieth session of the General Assembly. I am confident that, under your skilful leadership, the General Assembly will write one more significant page in the chronicles of the United Nations. I should also like to express my gratitude to your distinguished predecessor, Mr. Amara Essy, for his valuable contribution to the work of the General Assembly at its forty-ninth session. “I should like to express particular words of gratitude to the Secretary-General, Mr. Boutros Boutros-Ghali, for his tireless efforts to strengthen peace on Earth. “We have gathered here on this fiftieth anniversary year of the existence of the United Nations, understanding as we do the tremendous significance of the role played by our Organization in the world today. All progressive people welcomed the end of the cold war, rightly believing that it would lead to an easing of nuclear confrontation and an improvement of the political climate on the planet. However, the dissolution of totalitarian systems entailed the emergence of bloody armed conflicts and hot spots around the world. “The world has witnessed with tremendous alarm the continuing military confrontations and tension in the republics of the former Yugoslavia, Tajikistan and the Nagorny Karabakh region of Azerbaijan. “For seven years now we have seen open aggression from the Republic of Armenia against the Azerbaijan Republic. Twenty per cent of Azerbaijan territory has been under occupation by the armed forces of the Republic of Armenia. More than one million Azerbaijanis have been forcibly driven from their homes. A serious hotbed of tension has been created in the region and threatens international peace and security. “The Security Council has adopted four resolutions on the Armenia-Azerbaijan conflict in which it called upon the aggressor to withdraw, immediately and totally, from the occupied territories. However, the Republic of Armenia has completely ignored compliance with the resolutions General Assembly 21st plenary meeting and as a Member of the United Nations is, in effect, refusing to follow the decisions of one of its major organs. “Almost a year has elapsed since the adoption in Budapest by the Heads of State and Government, members of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), of a decision appointing the co-chairmen of the Minsk Conference on the settlement of the Armenian-Azerbaijan conflict designed to ensure the signing of a major political agreement the realization of which should eliminate all the consequences of the conflict. However, in this case the Republic of Armenia is pursuing a policy of putting forward obviously unacceptable conditions and attempting to impose provisions which would impose in advance a political status on the Nagorny Karabakh region of the Republic of Azerbaijan. Here we are faced with attempts to intimidate us with the possibility of the undermining of the peace-keeping operation in the region. It is, to say the least, unethical to accuse the victim of aggression, of not being willing to compromise on the problem of the liberation of its occupied territories. “Azerbaijan, for its part, is continuously displaying its readiness for constructive cooperation with the mediators in order to bring about a peaceful settlement of the Armenian-Azerbaijan conflict. “We have repeatedly expressed ourselves in favour of a multinational peace-keeping operation of the OSCE for the maintenance of peace on the border between Azerbaijan and Armenia and in the region as a whole. “At the present time discussions are taking place on the mandate and parameters of the peace- keeping operations of that Organization. In connection with the fact that the peace-keeping operation in our region will be the first to be carried out by the OSCE, Azerbaijan has agreed to the provision of technical expert consultative assistance from the United Nations for the success of this operation. “Azerbaijan shares the general understanding that peace-keeping operations should be viewed as temporary in nature and should be used to promote a climate to facilitate the settlement of a particular problem. At the same time, however, we must not lose sight of the fact that settlement is the ultimate goal. In implementing any peace-keeping operation we must strictly abide by the principles contained in the United Nations Charter, particularly the principles of respect for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of States and non-intervention in internal affairs. “Peace-keeping operations must be based on an appropriate mandate drawn up with the consent of all the parties involved, and they must be impartial, objective and neutral in character. Azerbaijan agrees with the current and established international practice under which the military contingent of any country participating in a given peace-keeping operation should not exceed 30 per cent of the total for the force. It is also important for the international organs involved in peace-keeping operations to furnish all available information to States and to keep world public opinion informed of the progress of the operation. “The settlement of the conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan entails strict compliance with these principles. Failing the liberation of all Azerbaijani territory occupied by Armenia, there can be no question of any comprehensive settlement of this conflict. Restoration of the territorial integrity of the Republic of Azerbaijan and the return of refugees and displaced persons to their homes in accordance with international practice are the only bases on which a solution can be found to the problem of the Armenian national minority population in Azerbaijan. “In the context of a settlement of the Armenian-Azerbaijani conflict I should also like to draw attention to the principle of the right of peoples to self-determination, a principle that the Republic of Armenia is flouting. The world has not yet found a workable balance between the principle of the right of peoples to self-determination, on the one hand, and the principle of the sovereignty and territorial integrity of States, on the other. Nevertheless, it is clear that the right to self-determination, as contained in the Charter, is not intended to furnish a pretext for flouting the principle of independence and territorial integrity. “The Republic of Azerbaijan, now a full- fledged member of the world community, has undertaken to abide by all universally recognized norms and principles of international law in its relations with other States. The Republic of Armenia, however, has persistently attempted to use 2 General Assembly 21st plenary meeting the principle of the right of peoples to self- determination as a pretext to legitimize and consolidate its territorial claims and to justify its aggression against Azerbaijan and its occupation of Azerbaijani territory. Indeed, the expansionist circles in Armenia have been implementing such a policy for years. In 1988, when the Soviet Union was still in existence, the Armenian Soviet Socialist Republic expelled its Azerbaijani population — some 200,000 persons, a national minority. Immediately following that inhuman decision, the Parliament of Armenia, acting counter to all the norms and principles of international law, approved Armenia’s annexation of the Nagorny Karabakh region of Azerbaijan — in other words, it decided to annex a part of the territory of a neighbouring State. “Subsequently, 50,000 persons were expelled from the Nagorny Karabakh region, whose total population numbered 170,000, with the financial and military support of the Republic of Armenia. In addition, Armenian armed forces were used to consolidate the annexation of the Lachin and Shusha districts of Azerbaijan, through which the Republic of Armenia maintains direct communication with the Nagorny Karabakh region of the Republic of Azerbaijan. Through this corridor, cynically referred to as a humanitarian corridor, a river of weapons, ammunitions and human resources flows from the Republic of Armenia. Some 20 per cent of the territory of Azerbaijan is now occupied by Armenian armed forces. Again, this armed expansion is accompanied by a thorough ethnic cleansing' of the occupied Azerbaijani territories and a scorched-earth policy. “The world community must condemn the actions of Armenia in Azerbaijan and call for the full and unconditional withdrawal of the Armenian armed forces from the occupied territories and for the return of refugees and displaced persons to their homes. This is clearly a case in which we are witnessing a total disregard for the provision of the United Nations Charter that calls upon all Member States to refrain in their international relations from the threat or use of force against the territorial integrity or political independence of any State, or in any other manner inconsistent with the Purposes of the United Nations.' World public opinion must not be misled as to the true motives for the actions of Armenia, which is cloaking its aggression against Azerbaijan in the lofty principle of the right of peoples to self- determination. “Armenia’s aggression against Azerbaijan has caused enormous suffering and grief to the whole of the Azerbaijani people, who have been forced by the military actions and occupation of the Armenian armed forces to leave their homes, abandon their property and flee in order to avoid falling into the hands of the occupiers. The Azerbaijani Government has been forced to convert many schools, dwellings, sanatoriums and rest homes into housing for refugees and displaced persons. In the territory of Azerbaijan, people are forced to take refuge in tent cities. The normal life of the country has been almost totally destroyed. “We are grateful to the countries and international and non-governmental organizations that have lent active humanitarian assistance to Azerbaijan. The United Nations too has played an important role in this assistance. The activities of the 1995-1996 humanitarian programmes, as presented in the United Nations consolidated inter-agency humanitarian assistance appeal for the Caucasus, include relief projects in the food, non-food, shelter, education and health sectors. However, as the Secretary-General indicates in his annual report on the work of the Organization, only 37 per cent, or $12.8 million, of the requirements pledged for humanitarian activities in Azerbaijan had been received as at 31 July 1995. Other projects carried out under the aegis of the United Nations have addressed capacity-building and the transition from emergency assistance to development. “Azerbaijan has always attached great importance to multifaceted cooperation with the United Nations system in the spheres of social and economic development. Following the dissolution of the USSR our country was confronted with the task of radically restructuring the Azerbaijani economy on a free-market basis. No country can be expected to undertake such a radical restructuring unilaterally without the active cooperation of international organizations, and Azerbaijan has been no exception. So far, we can point with some satisfaction to the continued cooperation between the Government of Azerbaijan and such important international financial 3 General Assembly 21st plenary meeting institutions as the International Monetary Fund and the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development. We have had considerable success in stabilizing the exchange rate of the manat, our national currency. The Government of Azerbaijan has received approval of sizeable loans to assist in a number of major infrastructure projects and for drilling and transporting oil. “Although the majority of the contacts between Azerbaijan and the United Nations system have been successful, we must nevertheless mention some current problems. We have not yet been able to resolve the question of a proper scale for Azerbaijan’s contribution to the regular budget of the Organization that would reflect my country’s real ability to pay. “In Azerbaijan’s brief period of independence some important changes have occurred. The Republic of Azerbaijan has begun to build its free democratic society on the basis of a market economy. We shall continue to pursue that path. It goes without saying, however, that the transition from one social and economic system to another requires a certain amount of time and very careful and meticulous work. “We need fundamental changes in many aspects of the life of the Republic, and corresponding changes in the thinking of our people. After long stagnation, the people have achieved civic freedom; now, they must understand that freedom. This is one of our most important areas of activity. A certain amount of progress has been made with respect to the political life of Azerbaijan. The principles of political pluralism, personal freedoms and freedom of expression, of the press and of conscience are guaranteed. Human rights are effectively protected. A multi-party system is at work. We consistently act on the principle of the primacy of law. Irrespective of sex or national, religious, ethnic or linguistic affiliation, citizens of Azerbaijan enjoy equal rights. “Azerbaijan’s highest legislative body, the Milli Majlis, has adopted a new electoral law, which is a milestone in the development of a democratic society in our country. This law is a further example of how Azerbaijan is proceeding with the building of a democratic civil society. Parliamentary elections in Azerbaijan are scheduled for 12 November this year; this confirms our unswerving policy of strengthening independence and sovereignty. Many countries and major international organizations, including the United Nations, the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe and others, have already agreed to act as observers of the elections. I take this opportunity to invite States Members of the United Nations to send observers to the elections in Azerbaijan. “In the social and economic sphere, our purposeful reforms in the political area and towards a democratic society have made it possible to create the preconditions for economic and social change, which is proceeding with success in our country and which is laying the foundation for an early transition to market relationships. The Republic has achieved a certain stabilization of macro-economic indicators and is doing all it can to encourage the development of free enterprise. We have begun a conscientious programme of privatization. Inflation, which had in previous years reached 30 to 35 per cent per month, has now been reduced to near zero. We appeal to the international community and to foreign businesses to increase their investment in the economy of Azerbaijan. We have created all the proper conditions for profitable activities by foreign companies. International consortiums are stepping up their activities; in addition to the Azerbaijan State oil company, these include major transnational corporations. These activities are aimed at joint exploration and development of oil and gas deposits in the Azerbaijan sector of the Caspian Sea. “The 50 years of the United Nations have shown that the peoples of the world can achieve a great deal when they combine their efforts and their will to defend world peace and to achieve the prosperity of peoples. We know that it was concern with preventing another world war that ordained the foundation of the United Nations, and this remains the main task before mankind today. For war annuls all that the efforts of peoples have achieved.”