Azerbaijan

I would like to join previous speakers in congratulating you, Sir, on your election as President of General Assembly at the sixty-sixth session, and wish you every success in that highly responsible post. I thank your predecessor, His Excellency Mr. Joseph Deiss, for his productive work during the last session. I also express my profound respect and gratitude to the Secretary-General, His Excellency Mr. Ban Ki-moon, for his leadership and dedication to revitalizing the United Nations Organization. With regard to the theme of this year’s general debate, we welcome the adoption at the sixty-fifth session of resolution 65/283 on strengthening the role of mediation in the peaceful settlement of disputes, conflict prevention and resolution. In that document, the General Assembly reiterated that all Member States should strictly adhere to their obligations, as laid down in the United Nations Charter, and reaffirmed, inter alia, the commitment to respect the sovereignty, territorial integrity and political independence of all States. Azerbaijan looks forward to the relevant guidance for more effective mediation, as indicated in the resolution, and we are ready to actively contribute to its elaboration. Unfortunately, we have to admit that 29 11-51670 not all States approach their international obligations responsibly and comply with the generally accepted norms and principles of international law. For almost two decades, we have witnessed the flagrant violation of the United Nations Charter and other documents of international law by the Republic of Armenia, which has perpetrated aggression against the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the Republic of Azerbaijan. As a result of that aggression, almost 20 per cent of the territory of Azerbaijan remains under occupation and about 1 million Azerbaijani refugees and internally displaced persons are unable to return to their homes. In 1993, the Security Council adopted four resolutions (resolutions 822 (1993), 853 (1993) 874 (1993) and 884 (1993)) demanding the immediate, complete and unconditional withdrawal of Armenian forces from all the occupied territories of Azerbaijan and reaffirmed the sovereignty, territorial integrity and inviolability of the internationally recognized borders of Azerbaijan. The same appeals were made also by other international organizations. Unfortunately, Armenia continues to ignore the calls of the international community. What is even more worrisome is that, instead of preparing its people for a peaceful, prosperous and stable future in friendship and cooperation with the neighbouring countries, the leadership of Armenia continues to publicly incite the future generations to new wars, violence and aggression and to propagate, by all means, the dangerous ideas of animosity and hatred towards not only Azerbaijan, but also other peoples of the region. Illegal activities in the occupied territories of Azerbaijan, including the implantation of ethnic Armenian settlers, as well as the destruction and appropriation of historical and cultural heritage, represent another source of serious concern. Such activities serve to further consolidate the current status quo of the occupation, securing the results of ethnic cleansing and colonization of the seized lands, as well as to seriously hamper the prospects for conflict resolution. Earlier in this Hall, we heard a very aggressive and unconstructive statement by the President of Armenia. He openly confirmed that destructive policy of Armenia. (see ) The Field Assessment Mission conducted by the Minsk Group Co-Chairs of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe in October 2010 to the occupied territories of Azerbaijan, stated, inter alia, that the status quo of the occupation was unacceptable and urged Armenia to put an end to its illegal practices in those territories. As a country suffering from the occupation of its territories and the forcible displacement of hundreds of thousands of its citizens, Azerbaijan is the most interested party in the earliest negotiated settlement of the conflict. Our position is well known to the international community. It is based on strict adherence to the norms and principles of international law, according to which the acquisition of territory by force is inadmissible and must be rejected resolutely and unconditionally. It is absolutely illogical that the leadership of Armenia, which has implemented the total ethnic cleansing of not only the occupied territories of Azerbaijan, but also of the Azerbaijani population in its own territory, is trying to apply the principle of self- determination. It is obvious that one cannot expel peoples from their homes on ethnic grounds and, at the same time, speak about self-determination for those who remain on the same grounds. Azerbaijan recognizes that the right of peoples to self-determination can be implemented only “at all times in conformity with the purposes and principles of the Charter of the United Nations and with the relevant norms of international law, including those relating to territorial integrity of States”, as enshrined in the Helsinki Final Act. Azerbaijan is confident that the conflict resolution must start with the withdrawal of Armenian armed forces from the occupied territories, within the fixed timetable, followed by the restoration of communications, the return of refugees and internally displaced persons, and the creation of conditions for the peaceful coexistence of Azerbaijanis and Armenians in the Nagorno Karabakh region within the territorial integrity of Azerbaijan. That step-by-step approach, which has been proposed by mediators and supported by the international community, except, unfortunately, the leadership of Armenia, can bring durable peace, stability and predictability to the region. Azerbaijan still maintains its interest, motivation and patience in that very hard and sensitive process of 11-51670 30 negotiations. We believe that the international community will convince the Armenian side to respect the generally accepted norms and principles of international law and cease abusing the right of Azerbaijanis to live within their own territories, including the Nagorno Karabakh region. In return, we are ready to guarantee the highest level of self-rule for that region within the Republic of Azerbaijan. I would like to touch upon another important issue of the international agenda — Palestine. Azerbaijan reaffirms its adherence to the position expressed by the majority of the United Nations Member States. We reiterate our long-standing solidarity with the people and leadership of Palestine, and believe that the time has come to reach a breakthrough in that long-standing and very important issue. The time has come for Palestine to be fully represented at the United Nations. Azerbaijan is determined to contribute further to the realization of the development goals and objectives agreed within the United Nations. In recent years, Azerbaijan has enhanced its humanitarian assistance to support international and national efforts aimed at eradicating poverty and promoting sustainable development and global prosperity for all. We pay particular attention to addressing the special needs and vulnerabilities of developing and least developed countries, as well as those recovering from natural disasters and suffering from climate change, in particular small island States. The recent humanitarian crisis in the Horn of Africa once again demonstrated the importance of global solidarity. Azerbaijan has provided urgent aid to support the ongoing efforts towards the eradication of famine in that region. The Government of Azerbaijan is currently considering additional funding to support the international community in ramping up its efforts to respond to the humanitarian situation and contribute to a mid- and long-term sustainable solution to the crisis in the Horn of Africa. Proceeding from the fruitful cooperation between the United Nations and the Government of Azerbaijan, resolution 64/186, entitled “Building connectivity through the Trans-Eurasian Information Super Highway”, initiated by Azerbaijan, was adopted at the sixty-fourth session of the General Assembly on 21 December 2009. As the main coordinator of the project, Azerbaijan has conducted a feasibility study and is financing the Secretariat of the project. We have taken a number of steps towards the establishment of a consortium, comprising of major telecommunications operators in the region. Azerbaijan has always been a place of coexistence and tolerance among various faiths, ethnic groups and philosophies. It is one of the unique places where different cultures and civilizations meet at the crossroads between East and West and North and South. As a bridge between cultures and an active member of the Group of Friends of the Alliance of Civilizations, Azerbaijan feels responsible for promoting interreligious and intercultural dialogue based on mutual respect and understanding. Thus, over the past years, we hosted a number of high-profile and action-oriented events, including the Summit of World Religious Leaders in April 2010, the World Forum for Intercultural Dialogue from 7 to 9 April 2011 and other similar events. Desiring to contribute further to the maintenance of international peace, security, stability and prosperity, Azerbaijan has put forward its candidature for a non-permanent seat on the Security Council for the term of 2012-2013. The elections will be held this year on 21 October at the General Assembly. The year 2012 marks the twentieth anniversary of Azerbaijan’s membership in the United Nations, although, unlike other candidates from the Group of Eastern European States, we have never had an opportunity to become a member of the Security Council. Azerbaijan’s election to the Security Council would contribute to redressing the underrepresentation of small developing States and bring a more balanced membership to that United Nations organ. The Government of the Republic of Azerbaijan would highly appreciate the valuable support of the States Members of the United Nations for its candidature for a non-permanent seat in the Security Council.