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Azerbaijanâ€™s FM: Foreign policy activity towards the restoration of countryâ€™s territorial integrity has been increased in 2010

07 January 2011 15:22 (UTC +04:00)

Baku. Lachin Sultanova-APA. â€œAzerbaijan has increased foreign policy activity towards the achievement of restoration of countryâ€™s territorial integrity, strengthening of its position and authority, as well as increase of confidence in international arena and extension of cooperationâ€, said press service of the Azerbaijanâ€™s Ministry of Foreign Affairs in its final press release for 2010, APA reports.

The report reads that in December of 2009, the negotiations being continued within a year were conducted on the basis of updated Madrid principles submitted by the Minsk Group Co-chairs: â€œIn this negotiations, Azerbaijan defended its position on restoration of the countryâ€™s territorial integrity and sovereignty, withdrawal of invasion forces from the occupied territories, return of IDPs to their homes, maintenance of peaceful co-existence of Azerbaijani and Armenian communities of Azerbaijanâ€™s Nagorno Karabakh region, restoration of the territories, opening the communications and determination of Nagorno Karabakhâ€™s status within the framework of Azerbaijanâ€™s territorial integrity by the participation of both communities in the next stage. Within this year, there were held 3 meetings between Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev and Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan by the mediation of Russian President Dmitry Medvedev. At the final meeting, the sides passed joint declaration on handover of captivesâ€™ bodies, as well as bodies of those who died as a result of violation of ceasefire regime. Consequently, it was possible to return bodies of Azerbaijani National Hero Mubariz Ibrahimov and martyr Farid Ahmadov to the homeland and bury themâ€.

According to the document, one of the important steps taken in direction of coordination of basic principles for the settlement of Armenia-Azerbaijan conflict was joint declaration adopted by heads of states of the OSCE Minsk Group co-chair countries on June 26 last year in Muskoka, Canada. â€œThe heads of states emphasized the necessity of stage-by-stage solution which considers liberation of the occupied territories, return of IDPs to their homeland and other principles.
The final statement of NATO Summit held in Lisbon on November 19-20 in 2010, supported the territorial integrity, independence and sovereignty of regional countries as well as Azerbaijan and called the to solve the regional problems due to these principles. Astana Declaration, which was adopted in the OSCEâ€™s 7th Summit in Astana, Kazakhstan, described the solution of protracted conflicts in the OSCE space on the basis of norms imposed by the UN Charter and the OSCE Helsinki Final Act. At the same time the joint statement by the heads of delegations of the OSCE Minsk Group co-chair countries, Azerbaijani and Armenian presidents once again emphasized the importance of solution to the Armenian-Azerbaijani conflict on the basis of principles adopted by the heads of states of the Minsk Group co-chair countries within the G8 summits in Italy, 2009 and Canada, 2010. Generally it should be noted that, the negotiations on solution of Armenian-Azerbaijani Nagorno Karabakh conflict was continued on the basis of international law and documents and resolutions adopted in this framework. And it was described in the statement signed by the Russian, Azerbaijani and Armenian presidents in Moscow in 2008â€.

The statement reminds that, Azerbaijan achieved the organizing of the visit of international assessment mission to the occupied territories under the leadership of OSCE Minsk Group co-chairs in order to investigate and assess the robbery of natural resources and cultural heritage, as well as illegal settlements and violation of property in the occupied territories. The report of assessment mission will be released in January, 2011.