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Elmar Mammadyarov: â€œNo single Azerbaijani historic and cultural monument was left undamaged both in the occupied territories and in Armeniaâ€

29 September 2012 12:41 (UTC +04:00)

Baku. Victoria Dementieva â€“ APA. Minister Elmar Mammadyarov made a speech at the Annual Coordination Meeting of the Foreign Ministers of the OIC Member States in New York on September 29. APA reports that the Minister in his speech touched upon the security problems in the region of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation. Armenia continues to use force to sustain military occupation of a substantial part of territories of Azerbaijan and to prevent one million Azerbaijani refugees and IDPs from returning to their homes: â€œNo single Azerbaijani historic and cultural monument was left undamaged and no mosque and other sacred site escaped desecration both in the occupied territories and in Armenia. Perpetrators of war crimes and crimes against humanity, including acts of genocide against Azerbaijani people, not only remain unpunished; they are even promoted, venerated and officially awarded hero titles in Armenia.

Consideration of this issue at the OIC is yet another test for the resolve and consistency of Member States in defending the principles and values of our organization. I would like to thank the member States for their continued support of the territorial integrity and sovereignty of the Republic of Azerbaijan and their condemnation of the notorious aggression of Armenia.

The Minister also touched upon the problems of Palestine and Syria. We are concerned over the situation in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Azerbaijan 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 would like to reiterate our support for the application of Palestine for admission to membership in the United Nations.

Azerbaijan is deeply concerned over the escalating violence in Syria that claims so many innocent lives and endangers regional security. We pay utmost importance to maintaining peace and security in Syria, which is one of the cradles of the Islamic civilization.

When Elmar Mammadyarov has delivered his speech, the OIC Secretary General Ekmaladdin Ihsanoglu expressed his gratitude to Azerbaijan for its financial contribution and for the activity within the Organization of Islamic Cooperation.