Azerbaijan, 1995

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

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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

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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.”