Foreign

Home page

Foreign

ODIHR needs to seriously reconsider election methodology, says Azerbaijani FM

29 September 2015 08:55 (UTC +04:00)

Baku – APA. Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov met with his German counterpart Frank-Walter Steinmeier on Sept.28 as part of the 70th session of the UN General Assembly.

Informing about the Armenian-Azerbaijani conflict, Mammadyarov said that Armenia’s main aim is to harm, through provocative acts, the process of negotiation of settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, and to keep the current status quo that is based on occupation and aggression.

The Azerbaijani FM noted that the armed forces of Armenia should be firstly withdrawn from the occupied Azerbaijani lands in order to settle the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.

He also said it is necessary to stop the occupation and aggression, adding that the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Azerbaijan should be secured within Azerbaijan’s internationally recognized borders.

The minister also noted that the aggression policy of Armenia is the main obstacle to the conflict’s settlement and poses a threat to peace and security in the region. Mammadyarov said all the members of the OSCE Minsk Group should be active and directly participate in the conflict’s settlement.

The parties exchanged views on the agenda and priorities for the period of Germany’s chairmanship on the status of OSCE Chairman-in-Office. The German FM said they expect a lot from the OSCE, outlining that important issues like the organization’s modernization will be a priority on the agenda.

Mammadyarov also highlighted the need to improve the OSCE and its structures, including the ODIHR, noting that the ODIHR’s statement on the elections to take place in Azerbaijan is contrary to its mandate. He added that the ODIHR needs to seriously reconsider its election methodology.

As for the European Parliament’s resolution on Azerbaijan, Mammadyarov stressed that with such a baseless and biased resolution, certain figures within the European Parliament are damaging Azerbaijan-EU relations.

The sides also exchanged their views on the Syrian crisis and its consequences, foreign fighter flow into global terror network, the migrant problem, etc.