Azerbaijan, 2009

I would like to

join previous speakers in congratulating His

Excellency Mr. Ali Abdussalam Treki of Libya on his

election to the post of President of the General

Assembly at its sixty-fourth session. I wish him every

success. I should also like to thank his predecessor,

Mr. Miguel d’Escoto Brockmann, for his work. I would

like to express my profound respect and appreciation to

the Secretary-General, His Excellency Mr. Ban

Ki-moon, for his leadership in mobilizing the

international community to make our world a better

place to live.

We all recognize that the security of every State

of the world can be better promoted and ensured with a

multilateral security system. That paradigm was a

principal reason behind the creation of the collective

security system that has the United Nations at its core.

Yet, after more than 60 years since the founding of the

United Nations, the question remains of whether the

contemporary international security architecture is

addressing effectively and in a timely manner the

multifaceted and interconnected challenges and threats

confronting our world today.

The global character of today’s challenges and

threats makes geographic distance irrelevant when it

comes to the formulation of security policy, as threats

as we know them today transcend national borders and

entire continents. The indirect repercussions of these

threats may be as devastating and as costly as their

direct impact. The interconnected and intertwined

nature of current threats requires that we reconsider the

very concept of security in broader terms that are not

confined to the traditional military aspect of security,

but also include its political, economic, energy,

cultural, information and other dimensions.

The security of each State and, more broadly,

international peace and security will depend upon

whether States follow the norms and principles of

international law and use them as a guiding tool for

shaping their foreign and security policies. Following a

common set of norms and rules on the international

arena contributes to the transparency and predictability

of State behaviour and hence consolidates international

peace and security.

Unfortunately, the unlawful use of force has still

not been eliminated from international relations.

Civilian populations are still suffering today in many

places around the world due to the manifest failure of

individual States to fulfil their most basic and

compelling responsibilities. Armed conflict, military

aggression and foreign occupation involving the most

serious international crimes are but a few vivid

examples from our recent history of the bitter

consequences of non-compliance by individual States

with the norms and principles of international law.

Governments that fail to obey the rules of international

conduct will inevitably infringe upon individual

liberties and freedoms at home, thus undermining

democratic development.

The most vivid example of misconduct when it

comes to the norms and principles of international law

is the almost two-decades-long, and still unresolved,

Armenia-Azerbaijan Nagorny-Karabakh conflict,

which also stands out as a major threat to international

and regional peace and security. As a result of the

aggression carried out by Armenia, almost one-fifth of

the territory of Azerbaijan has been occupied,

approximately 1 million ethnically cleansed

Azerbaijanis have become internally displaced persons

or refugees and thousands of Azerbaijan’s historical

and cultural heritage artifacts have been destroyed or

looted.

In its four resolutions on the conflict, the Security

Council has reaffirmed the sovereignty and territorial

integrity of Azerbaijan and the inadmissibility of the

use of force to acquire the territory of the other States.

It has also recognized Nagorny-Karabakh as a part of

Azerbaijan and called for an immediate, complete and

unconditional withdrawal of the occupying forces from

all occupied territories of Azerbaijan. The General

Assembly — in resolution 62/243, which was adopted

61 09-52470

on 14 March 2008 and which is entitled “The situation

in the occupied territories of Azerbaijan” — expressed

respect and support for the sovereignty and territorial

integrity of Azerbaijan within its internationally

recognized borders.

As reflected in those resolutions, the approach of

the General Assembly and the Security Council is fully

consistent with the position of Azerbaijan, which from

the beginning advocated a step-by-step approach to

settling the conflict as the only viable option. A number

of important steps have to be taken, starting with the

withdrawal of Armenian forces from all the occupied

territories, the rehabilitation of those territories, the

return of internally displaced persons to their homes in

and around the Nagorny-Karabakh region and the

opening of all communications channels for mutual

use. That will make it possible to eliminate the

consequences of the conflict, and will pave the way for

the establishment of a durable peace and stability in the

region that is conducive to the establishment of the

legal status of the Nagorny-Karabakh region within

Azerbaijan, with due account taken of, and an equal

hearing for, the voices of the Azerbaijani and Armenian

communities of the region.

The current settlement process offers some hope

of breaking the stalemate in the process of resolution

of the conflict. The acceptance by Armenia of the step-

by-step approach to a settlement to the conflict on the

basis of the principles and norms of international law

and the decisions and documents adopted in that

framework, as reflected in the joint declaration signed

in Moscow in November 2008 by the Presidents of

Azerbaijan, Armenia and the Russian Federation, is a

positive sign. Azerbaijan is ready to continue talks with

Armenia’s leadership for a secure and stable South

Caucasus region and beyond, which will make it

possible to take advantage of the existing ample

regional opportunities for the benefit of all.

Against the background of the negative

developments in the region to which I have referred, let

me briefly share some information about the positive

economic performance of my country.

Azerbaijan has minimized the impact of the

global economic downturn on its economy and

managed to sustain growth. Having maintained its

dynamism in 2009, as of today our gross domestic

product (GDP) growth stands at almost 4 per cent. We

have recorded a drop in the poverty rate since 2003,

from 44 per cent to 13 per cent. The Government of

Azerbaijan has substantially improved trade and

investment conditions in an effort to strengthen

national competitiveness and spur private-sector

development, especially in the non-oil sector. Non-oil

GDP growth is at almost 16 per cent, the highest rate in

5 years. In recognition of its results-oriented reforms

and thought-out economic policy, Azerbaijan was

qualified by the World Bank as one of the world’s top

reformers.

Azerbaijan — a strategically located country with

a young and skilled population, great resources and a

dynamic economy — is inevitably taking a leading role

in the region and increasingly becoming a pivotal

player and credible actor beyond the region. The

successful implementation of such infrastructure

projects as the Baku-Supsa and Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan

oil-exporting pipelines and the Baku-Tbilisi-Erzurum

gas pipeline have not only boosted our economy, they

have also contributed to the development of

neighbouring States. A modern energy infrastructure

coupled with vast energy resources have transformed

Azerbaijan into an energy hub of international

importance. Azerbaijan has proven itself a reliable

partner and an indispensable and secure energy source

for Europe and beyond.

Azerbaijan’s location at the crossroads of major

East-West and North-South transport corridors and its

rapidly developing national transportation

infrastructure, which is connected to regional highway

and railroad networks, highlights the strategic

importance of my country. The completion of the

construction of the Baku-Tbilisi-Kars railroad and the

commissioning of the brand new seaport at Alat, on

Azerbaijan’s coast on the Caspian Sea, will increase

the role of Azerbaijan as a communications hub linking

Europe with Asia.

Azerbaijan has also put forward an initiative to

establish a Trans-Eurasian information superhighway,

which is expected to serve as a major element of the

East-West transport corridor and facilitate the

provision of Internet service, telecommunications

systems, e-information resources and e-economies to

20 countries of the region.

Today we are living at a time of heightened

religious and ethnic awareness, which in certain

instances has taken exaggerated forms and is

sometimes maliciously exploited to fuel conflicts on

09-52470 62

ethnic, religious or cultural grounds. The broad

recognition by the Member States of the United

Nations of the role of the dialogue among civilizations,

and specifically of inter-cultural and inter-religious

harmony in maintaining international peace and

security, can only be praised.

We fully support the recommendations of the

Secretary-General on the importance of increasing

educational efforts to eliminate hate messages,

distortion, prejudice and negative bias from textbooks

and other educational media and to ensure a basic

knowledge and understanding of the world’s main

cultures, civilizations and religions.

As a country where long-standing traditions of

tolerance and peaceful coexistence of different

religions and ethnic groups over centuries have become

an inseparable part of the culture, Azerbaijan has

repeatedly demonstrated its determination to act as a

natural bridge bringing together different continents,

cultures and civilizations through the promotion of

inter-religious and intercultural dialogue based on

mutual respect and understanding among peoples of

different cultures and religions.

Azerbaijan was among the first countries to join

the Alliance of Civilizations, an initiative by Turkey

and Spain. Azerbaijan has hosted a number of

important events in recent years, with a view to

translating into concrete actions the recommendations

contained in the Alliance of Civilizations report of the

High-level Group appointed by the Secretary-General.

Most recently, we held the Baku International Forum

on Expanding the Role of Women in Cross-cultural

Dialogue, which we believe will raise awareness about

the role of women in that regard. In December 2008,

we hosted a conference of culture ministers from

Council of Europe member States. For the first time in

the history of the Council of Europe, ministers from

member States of the Islamic Educational, Scientific

and Cultural Organization and the Arab League

Educational, Cultural and Scientific Organization

joined the event. The Baku declaration adopted at the

conference envisages, inter alia, an intercultural

dialogue between European and neighbouring States.

At the fifth Islamic Conference of Culture

Ministers, Azerbaijan’s capital of Baku was declared

the Islamic culture capital for 2009. This autumn we

will be hosting the sixth Conference of Ministers of

Culture of the Organization of the Islamic Conference,

where we will continue discussions of our future

actions in fostering dialogue among civilizations.

The multilateral system, with the United Nations

at its heart, is undergoing serious changes that will test

its strength, viability and credibility. This requires

more dedicated efforts aimed at strengthening the

United Nations and promoting the effectiveness of the

Organization through the implementation of its

decisions and resolutions. Azerbaijan believes that, as

the only truly global organization, the United Nations

has to be stronger and capable of engaging on a range

of pressing global issues in every part of the world, as

well as addressing the aspirations and concerns of each

Member State. We continue to support reform of the

Organization so that it may be renewed and revitalized

and made more responsive.