Non-Aligned Movement plays an important role in stability, security and peace in the world, said Azerbaijan’s President Ilham Aliyev, addressing the Mid-Term Ministerial Conference of the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM), titled "Promoting international peace and security for sustainable development” in Baku April 5.
The president went on to add that the Non-Aligned Movement is strongly committed to international law norms, principles of territorial integrity, sovereignty and independence of all its members.
"Azerbaijan is a relatively new member of NAM. We've been adopted to this family in 2011, and immediately we started to feel support from our organization, from the member states," he said.
"The reflection of that support was demonstrated during the procedure of the election of Azerbaijan as the non-permanent member of the UN Security Council. It was also in 2011, right after adoption, we felt strong support from our partners. It wasn't easy, because we had strong rivals. The rivals were not members of our organization," said the president.
"It took us sixteen rounds to finally get elected, with the support of 155 countries. And the support of NAM, and also the Organization of Islamic Cooperation was crucial for us to be elected to the leading international body," President Aliyev said.
It once again demonstrates our strength, it shows that when we are united, we can achieve a lot, and shows solidarity between the member states and capability of our organization, said the president.
"Being elected to the UN Security Council, Azerbaijan, for two years, represented all the member states. We declared that we will defend justice and international law, which is violated in many cases for so many years," he said.
"Azerbaijan witnessed and experienced the violation of international law and justice. For more than 25 years, our country's territories are under Armenian occupation. Nagorno-Karabakh, which is a historical part of Azerbaijan, and other historical regions of the country, seven regions, are under Armenian occupation," said Ilham Aliyev.
"Twenty percent of internationally recognized territory of Azerbaijan was occupied by Armenia. As a result of the occupation, more than a million of Azerbaijanis became refugees and internally displaced persons. Our people were subjected to ethnic cleansing policy carried out by Armenia. Armenia committed Knojaly genocide against Azerbaijanis, which is now recognized by more than 10 countries in the world. We also count on the support of the member states to address this issue and express their position on this crime against humanity," he said.
The president reminded that as a result of the Khojaly genocide, 613 innocent people, among them 106 women, 63 children, were brutally tortured and killed, while thousands went missing.
"Unfortunately, occupation continues until now," he said.
"Once again, I'd like to express gratitude to NAM, for adopting resolution on the conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan, supporting the resolution of the conflict, based on Azerbaijan's territorial integrity," said Ilham Aliyev.
"Other international organizations adopted similar resolutions. The UN Security Council adopted 4 resolutions, demanding immediate and unconditional withdrawal of Armenian troops from the territories of Azerbaijan, bu they are not implemented. There's no mechanism of implementation of these resolutions. Organization of Islamic Cooperation, the European Parliament, the Parliamentary Assembly of Council of Europe, OSCE and other leading international organizations adopted resolutions and decisions, demanding restoration of the territorial integrity of Azerbaijan," said the president.
"Unfortunately, despite brutal violation of international law, despite genocide the Armenians committed against Azerbaijanis, this country wasn't sanctioned. If Armenia was sanctioned in the beginning of the conflict, I think the conflict would've been resolved long time ago," Ilham Aliyev noted.
He went on to say that on the occupied territories everything has been destroyed.
"The OSCE sent missions there twice, to collect facts. And the reports have shown that all our historical monuments, mosques, cemeteries, museums, have been destroyed by Armenian vandals. This is genocide against our culture. The occupation of Azerbaijani territory must be stopped, and only after that peace will come to the region," said the president.
Icmal.Az
