The interview of Aykhan Hajizada, Head of the Press Service Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Azerbaijan to APA
- The other day, Deputy Foreign Minister of Azerbaijan Mr. Elnur Mammadov stated that despite the objections raised by Armenia, the International Court of Justice (ICJ) decided to review Azerbaijan's claims against Armenia, including the facts related to mines. We would like you to explain this decision in more detail and clearly. Also, in general, how fair are the decisions of the International Court of Justice?
- As you know, after the Patriotic War, Azerbaijan initiated a series of legal proceedings against Armenia. The main purpose of the legal proceedings was to evaluate, within the framework of the relevant legal processes, the violations of international law committed against our country over the past 30 years, as well as the crimes against humanity that were carried out, to issue an opinion on these matters, and to hold Armenia accountable for its actions. Moreover, I would like to point out that the proceedings at the International Court of Justice are being carried out under the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination. Yesterday, a decision was made regarding the objections raised by Armenia and Azerbaijan. Firstly, this decision primarily focuses on evaluating the crimes and racial discrimination perpetrated by Armenia against Azerbaijanis over the course of 30 years.
The court decided to review the merits of the ethnic cleansing committed by Armenia against the Azerbaijanis. The court has made a decision to examine, in substance, the ethnic cleansing perpetrated by Armenia against Azerbaijanis. This decision primarily indicates that the court will investigate the case in the coming years. Additionally, as you are aware, one of the key issues raised in these legal proceedings is the threat of mines against Azerbaijanis. The International Court of Justice has already issued a decision on this matter, despite Armenia's attempts to have it excluded. However, the court made its decision in this regard. The threat posed by mines is widespread and significant. About 400 Azerbaijanis have been victims of landmines since the Patriotic War, and it is very important to make a decision on the appropriate evaluation of this issue within the framework of court proceedings.
In addition to these court cases, Azerbaijan is also pursuing relevant arbitration processes against Armenia. One of these is related to the court's evaluation of Armenia's use and plundering of Azerbaijan's energy resources in the formerly occupied territories. Azerbaijan continues work in this direction. We believe that this is a very important issue. Azerbaijan continues work in this direction. We believe that this is a very important issue.
- Why is Azerbaijan not joining the "Convention on the Prohibition of the Use, Stockpiling, Production, and Transfer of Anti-Personnel Mines and on Their Destruction" (the Ottawa Convention) and the "Convention on Cluster Munitions" (the Oslo Convention)?
- As you know, the expansion of Armenia's occupation against Azerbaijan remained a threat until the conflict was resolved. Azerbaijan worked to prevent the threat of a new attack by all means. Despite not being a member, the demining works carried out by Azerbaijan, as well as the relevant reports on the confidence-building measures implemented in this direction, were submitted within the framework of the Ottowa Convention. Despite similar statements made by Armenia, they have once again demonstrated through their actions that they have never abandoned the use of mines and have continued to pose a mine threat to Azerbaijan. Even mines produced in 2021 were brought into Azerbaijan’s former occupied territories after the Patriotic War. Currently, Azerbaijan uses all its military means solely for the purpose of ensuring its own security.
- If a peace treaty is signed, can both sides mutually withdraw their claims from international courts? Has this point been reflected in the peace negotiations?
- Undoubtedly, the elimination of existing difficulties and claims within the framework of the peace process is one of the important issues. If we want to have a lasting and just peace, without a doubt, states must abandon their claims against each other. This is a process, and it is difficult to predict in which direction it will proceed at this stage. However, Azerbaijan's intention is to ensure lasting peace in the region. In this direction, it is necessary to use all methods and all means.
- Although Azerbaijan has extended an invitation to Armenia to participate in COP29, Armenia has yet to respond. Armenia's Deputy Foreign Minister, Vahan Kostanyan, emphasized that Armenia's participation would be contingent upon progress in the peace agreement and the release of Armenians held in Azerbaijan. How does this affect the ongoing peace negotiations in the region?
- Azerbaijan, as the chairman of the COP, adhered to its obligations and sent an invitation to all member states to participate in the event. A corresponding invitation was also sent to the Armenian side. Clearly, Armenia’s refusal to participate in this process represents a missed opportunity on their part. Their failure to engage in these discussions reflects a lack of constructive policy. Nevertheless, it remains their choice. We do not have any information about whether Armenia will attend the event. At the same time, we would like to emphasize that politicizing this event on climate change or conditioning participation in any event based on specific political terms is baseless and unacceptable. Such actions cannot be considered constructive. Azerbaijan believes that the Conference of the Parties (COP) under the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change should focus solely on addressing the global climate threat. Politicizing these discussions is unacceptable.
- Many countries continue to propose mediation in negotiations between Azerbaijan and Armenia, such as Georgia. What is Azerbaijan's response to these proposals?
- Mediation efforts have been undertaken in the past. However, it is important to emphasize that this is a bilateral process. Azerbaijan supported the efforts of each state to advance the negotiations and responded positively to the invitation of the inviting state and accordingly participated in the negotiations organized by those states. Nevertheless, we reiterate that this is a bilateral process. The key parties that need to reach an agreement are Azerbaijan and Armenia. This process is being advanced on a bilateral basis by both sides.
- It is reported that a new phase of peace talks between Armenia and Azerbaijan will begin in December. Is it possible to sign a peace agreement by the end of the year?
- Since October 2022, within the framework of the initiative put forward by Azerbaijan, negotiations have been held at the level of foreign ministers. This is a process and relevant meetings have been held. As you know, both at the level of foreign ministers and at the leaders’ level, the process has continued. At the level of foreign ministers, exchanges of drafts are taking place. A lot of progress has been made in terms of the peace agreement. Most of the provisions have been agreed upon. Work is still being done on some provisions. However, it would not be appropriate to make any assessment or comment on when the agreement will be signed. This is an ongoing process. At the same time, we would like to emphasize that for the establishment of genuine peace between Azerbaijan and Armenia, it is important to remove any claims against the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Azerbaijan from Armenia's Constitution.
- Finally, I would like to ask a question about the prestigious COP29 hosted in our country. Some countries that are major contributors to environmental pollution and are considered the main culprits of climate change, such as the leaders of France, Norway, and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, are not attending COP29. What is your response to the indifference shown by the leaders of countries that bear the greatest responsibility for climate change towards this initiative?
- I would like to reiterate that, as the Chair of COP, Azerbaijan has extended invitations to all parties to participate. This is a general event, a UN event. Azerbaijan, as the COP Chairman, is focused on the successful organization of this event, achieving successful results, and spares no effort to achieve the appropriate consensus of the states in this direction. Azerbaijan believes that the more heads of state and the more participants attend this event, and the more responsible states behave, as well as the more effort they put into advancing the negotiations process, the greater the success we can achieve. Despite the fact that some heads of state are not attending, this event organized by Azerbaijan has been conducted at a very high level and on a large scale. Approximately 100 heads of state and government are participating in this event. As you can see, speeches are ongoing. States are attending this event with the understanding of their responsibility, and we hope they will not spare any effort to make this event successful.
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