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Elmar Mammadyarov called on OIC member states to support Azerbaijanâ€™s candidacy for a non-permanent membership of the UN Security Council

28 June 2011 12:42 (UTC +04:00)

Baku-APA. Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov delivered a speech in the OIC Foreign Ministerial Councilâ€™s 38th session. Press service of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs told APA that the minister said that this year was specific because of substantial political processes and dramatic events all over the world: â€œThe current situation in a number of the OIC Member States, which faces numerous risks and challenges, remains a source of deep concern to us. Particularly, we are deeply concern over the recent political tensions in some of brotherly Arab countries but we do believe that Arab Nations have enough political will and wisdom to overcome all these challenges. We also believe in the importance of discussions about all these developments within the OIC format, including the highest one. We should not be shy enough to address these challenges and to have more frequent meetingsâ€.

The minister said that Azerbaijan remained concerned over situation in Palestine: â€œAzerbaijan reiterates its support to brotherly people of Palestine and their efforts to achieve peace, stability, and establishment of a sovereign and independent Palestinian state, with Al-Quds as its capital. We highly value the work of the OIC Secretary General and his staff to consolidate our Organization in providing much needed assistance to population in Palestine. I would like to express our support to the initiatives taken in moving forward the resolution of Kashmir dispute, and to express our concern with the continuing unjust isolation of Turkish Cypriots. Azerbaijan also supports the efforts undertaken by the Governments of Iraq, Afghanistan, Sudan, Somalia and other OIC Member States to restore peace, security and stability in these countriesâ€.

Mammadyarov also expressed regret that Islamophobia which is regretfully on the rise in a number of countries around the world has inflicted heavy emotional and psychological cost on millions of Muslims: â€œSerious instances of intolerance, discrimination, and attacks against Islam in some countries in recent years confirm the need to combat defamation of religions and incitement to religious hatred. The defamation of a religion under the guise of freedom of expression is a new and contemporary form of discrimination and intolerance. As civilized societies, we must exercise our freedom with care and within the parameters of internationally accepted norms. We strongly support the OIC’s efforts aimed at exploring the possibility of evolving a binding international framework to prevent the defamation of all religions.

I would also like to express once again Azerbaijanâ€™s sincere gratitude to the Islamic Ummah and the OIC Secretary General for their vigorous support to the just cause of Azerbaijan in the ongoing armed conflict with Armenia as a result of which almost twenty percent of Azerbaijanâ€™s territory still remains under occupation by Armenia. Presumably one million Azerbaijanis have been ethnically cleansed from their native lands, and thousands of Azerbaijani cultural and historical monuments, including of Islamic heritage were devastated and looted.

The Government of Azerbaijan remains committed to the peaceful settlement of this protracted conflict based on the respect for the norms and principles of international law, implementation of the relevant UN Security Council and OIC resolutions as well as appropriate documents and decisions adopted by the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, Council of Europe and European Parliamentâ€.

Mammadyarov noted that all these documents unanimously supported territorial integrity of Azerbaijan, contains a strong call on Armenia to withdraw its troops from the occupied lands of my country and return of refugees and IDPâ€™s to the places of their origin: â€œAzerbaijan has nominated its candidacy for a non-permanent membership of the UN Security Council, for the term of 2012-2013, at the elections to be held in 2011 at the 66th session of the UN General Assembly. Stemming from the importance of representing the Islamic World in the Security Council we count on constant support by the Member States to the candidacy of Azerbaijan. Azerbaijan is the only country among the candidates to the UNSC from the Group of Eastern European States that is not a member of the European Union and does not belong to any political or military alliance. We are full-fledged member of the Non-Aligned Movement and pursuing an independent foreign policy with strong commitment to goals and principles of the UN Charter. I have the honor to ask my dear brothers and colleagues to extend their support to the candidature of Azerbaijan at the elections to be held this October in New York during the UNGA session and provide appropriate instructions to their distinguished Ambassadors to the United Nationsâ€.