Azerbaijan, 2007

I would like to

add my voice to those of previous speakers in

congratulating you, Sir, on the occasion of your

election to the noble post of President of the General

Assembly. I am confident that you will carry forward

the able legacy left by your predecessor, Mrs. Haya

Rashed Al-Khalifa. Our warm tribute also goes to the

Secretary-General, Mr. Ban Ki-moon, as he strives to

reinvigorate our Organization.

We all have the great belief that in the twenty-

first century the United Nations will be a more

effective Organization. The continued relevance of this

Organization will, to a large extent, depend on our

ability to attune it to our concerns and make it

responsive to our needs.

The United Nations must continue to serve the

interests of all its Members States, regardless of

whether they are big or small. Our approach to

problems that transcend national boundaries should be

based on a global consensus, while maintaining the key

role of the United Nations in the cooperative

management of these problems. We need to advance

further and harmonize diverging views on the reform

of the Security Council. The Council should be

transformed into a democratic and respectful organ,

reflecting its universal character, corresponding to

present-day realities, and taking into consideration the

need for balanced geographic representation in its

membership.

The reform package should strengthen the

General Assembly as the policy-making organ of the

United Nations. It is only through reinforcement of the

Assembly’s role and mandate that we can successfully

tackle some of the most pressing issues facing

humanity, not least the process of globalization.

This year, 2007, marks the fifteenth anniversary

of Azerbaijan’s membership in the United Nations. I

will use this apt occasion both for reflecting on our

experience and for looking ahead. The development of

our region is inextricably linked to energy security

issues. We in Azerbaijan have been working for more

than 10 years on our energy security. When we started

our energy projects, the development of oil and gas

fields and construction of pipelines, we could not

imagine that our energy resources would be so crucial

in supporting the causes of free competition and free

market. But it so happens that we are right on time and

ready to provide an important contribution to global

energy security.

Our firm dedication to the policy of economic,

political and social reform allowed us to improve our

economic performance significantly. Last year, we had

a 34 per cent growth in gross domestic product (GDP),

and more than 35 per cent this year. In four years, the

State budget increased more than fourfold. We

managed to decrease unemployment and poverty

significantly. A 36.8 per cent increase in the

population’s income and savings in financial

institutions is a direct indication of the improvement in

livelihood.

Investments continue to play a catalytic role in

the overall development of the country. In 2007, the

level of investments from all financial sources has

reached a growth of 10.6 per cent. Most important, as

compared to previous years, the share of domestic

investments currently accounts for a significant

increase of 50.8 per cent, and a large part of it goes to

the non-oil sector. These are very important steps

towards achieving our goal of a diversified economy.

We believe that the sustainability of growth and

development in Azerbaijan not only is ensured by the

availability of natural resources but also attests to the

commitment and capacity of the Government to protect

the rights of investors and to implement its

commitments under various contracts in the

multibillion range.

Transparency and efficiency in oil revenue

management constitutes an important part of the

Government’s efforts to improve public service and

accountability. Thus, it gives me great pleasure to

inform delegates that the State Oil Fund of Azerbaijan,

which leads the implementation of the Extractive

Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI) in Azerbaijan,

won the prestigious 2007 United Nations Public

Service Award in the category of improving

transparency, accountability and responsiveness in the

public service. We believe that this success shows the

efficiency of our Initiative, and we invite United

Nations Member States to discuss the achievements

made under the EITI. We plan to introduce a draft

resolution on this subject during the current session.

Using our geographical location and unique

transportation possibilities, we are pioneering projects

on bridging Europe and Asia. Countries to the east of

the Caspian Sea have expressed a vivid interest in these

projects, and the role of Azerbaijan in regional affairs

has become more important and has been transformed

into a stabilization factor.

By dint of its political and historical background,

Azerbaijan became home to various cultures and

religions. Building on this rich experience, during its

chairmanship of the Organization of the Islamic

Conference Ministerial Council, our country provided

substantial input to enhancing dialogue and broadening

mutual understanding among nations, cultures and

religions. We believe that by spreading knowledge

about Islam and its values, cultural dialogue between

the civilizations will contribute to mutual

understanding and trust. In this regard, the framework

of the Alliance of Civilizations provides a good

opportunity for joint action and partnership.

Azerbaijan currently holds the rotating

chairmanship of the GUAM (Georgia, Ukraine,

Azerbaijan and Moldova) group. Our priority is to

espouse GUAM geopolitical and geo-economic

advantages, utilize its role as a natural corridor

bridging Europe and Asia and promote the

development of civil societies and the economic

cooperation of GUAM Member States.

At the same time, GUAM serves as an effective

instrument to increase the international community’s

awareness about risks and challenges that its Member

States have been facing. In this regard, I would like

refer to agenda item 16 of the current session relating

to the protracted conflicts in the territories of

Azerbaijan, Georgia and Moldova. These conflicts

have almost the same origin, similarly-developed

scenario and dangerous outcome. They all started from

the manifestation of aggressive separatism, were

accompanied by ethnic cleansing against civilians and

resulted in the violation of the sovereignty and

territorial integrity of these States.

GUAM is firmly convinced that the settlement of

these protracted conflicts must be based on territorial

integrity within their internationally recognized

borders. Together with GUAM colleagues, Azerbaijan

will defend this fundamental principle of international

law, initiate formal discussions in the General

Assembly and mobilize support of the United Nations

Member States.

The Armenian-Azerbaijani Nagorny Karabakh

conflict remains the most serious challenge to the

security of our region. As a result of the conflict, we

are still facing the continued occupation by Armenia of

a significant part, almost 20 per cent, of the

internationally recognized territories of Azerbaijan. We

are hosting approximately one million refugees and

internally displaced persons, who were notoriously

ethnically cleansed and brutally expelled from their

homes of origin in Armenia and in the occupied

territories of Azerbaijan.

Azerbaijan’s position on conflict settlement is

fully based on the norms and principles of international

law, plus four relevant resolutions of the United

Nations Security Council that provide for the

restoration of the sovereignty and territorial integrity of

Azerbaijan and the establishment of vast opportunities

for the Azerbaijani and Armenian communities of the

Nagorny Karabakh region of Azerbaijan.

Negotiations on conflict resolution, which since

1992 have been carried out within the framework of

the OSCE Minsk Group, have so far not yielded any

results. The more time passes, the more difficult it is

for us to observe from our side of the line of contact

the attempts of the current Armenian leadership to

consolidate the results of the occupation of our

territories, their attempts to destroy everything

associated with the Azerbaijani legacy in these

territories and to carry out illegal activities thereon.

The United Nations shall not tolerate such action. From

this high podium, I would like to address the Armenian

nation in order that they recognize that their policy of

breaching peace and stability in the region has very

dangerous, counter-productive and disastrous

implications for the long-term perspective of

development, above all, for Armenia. I am confident

that Azerbaijan will restore its sovereignty and

territorial integrity. It is only a question of time.

Finally, on this issue, I would like to express our

gratitude to Member States for their unequivocal

support extended in September 2006 to General

Assembly resolution 60/285, entitled “The situation in

the occupied territories of Azerbaijan”. Although

Armenia dissociated itself from the resolution after

joining the consensus on it, we still believe that

establishing the proper conditions for the

environmental operation may become a significant

confidence-building measure.

As a member of the Human Rights Council,

Azerbaijan attaches great importance to the efficient

functioning of the Council. It is our common task and

responsibility to ensure that this institution lives up to

the expectations vested in it and becomes a truly

objective, vigorous and credible universal human rights

body. We are looking forward to finalizing the

institution-building of the Council so that it becomes

fully operational and devotes attention to the issues

directly within its mandate.

In the course of the last two years, the United

Nations has continued to represent a unique platform

for international standard-setting in the field of human

rights by adopting two major documents — namely, the

International Convention for the Protection of All

Persons from Enforced Disappearance and the

Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.

Undoubtedly, adoption of those important instruments

represents a significant step forward in a long

historical process. Already a signatory to the first

Convention, Azerbaijan is currently considering

signing the latter.