Azernews.Az

By Vafa Ismayilova

Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov has said that Azerbaijan is a steadfast supporter of regional cooperation and is keenly interested in strengthening good-neighborly relations.

Bayramov made the remarks during the 36th meeting of the Council of GUAM foreign ministers held in a videoconference format on December 28 and chaired by Azerbaijan.

Bayramov said that Azerbaijan focused on deepening cooperation in such promising areas as trade, transport and communication during its chairmanship of the organization in 2020.

"We intensely focused on the realization of the crucial project for our organization – GUAM Transport Corridor. Recent meeting of the Ministers of Transport and the joint declaration are an important step towards enhancing connectivity. We have already started working with the European Union for the feasibility study of the Transport Corridor project and appreciate the EU’s interest to support this project… Positive developments have also taken place in terms of interagency collaboration. The Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed between GUAM and the Organization for Cooperation of Railways. Draft MoU with the UN Office on Drugs and Narcotics (UNODC) is almost finalized and hopefully will be signed soon,” he stressed.

During the meeting, Bayramov handed over Azerbaijan’s chairmanship of GUAM to neighbouring Georgia.

Speaking about GUAMS work, Bayramov said: "GUAM is an important regional platform to promote democracy, strengthen regional security and foster sustainable development. Our organization is gaining an increasingly prominent role in the system of international relations. There is a growing interest to our work from partner countries and organizations. We are confident that there is a potential to exploit for a greater efficiency and synergy benefits,” the minister said.

Cooperation within GUAM

The minister said that the talks on another flagship initiative of GUAM – Free Trade Agreement is underway.

"It is important the project is developed according to the interests and expectations of all Member States. We are pleased with the effective cooperation and coordination of joint actions in the GUAM format within the international organizations. During the current 75th session of the UN General Assembly, the resolution on 'Cooperation between the UN and GUAM' was unanimously adopted. We should continue our work towards promotion of the draft UN General Assembly resolution on 'Protracted conflicts in the GUAM area and their implications for international peace, security and development',” Bayramov said.

EU Partnership

The minister said that Azerbaijan "welcomes the recent EU Council Conclusions on Eastern Partnership (EAP) policy beyond 2020 where the EU Member States reaffirmed their shared commitment to the rules-based international order, international law, including territorial integrity, independence and sovereignty, as stated in the Helsinki Final Act. The unanimous position of the GUAM Member States on the subject matter has been critical and we do hope that the abovementioned elements will be clearly reflected in the draft Joint Declaration of the Eastern Partnership Summit which is to take place in March 2021".

He stressed that there is so much that Azerbaijan can offer and is already offering to all its partners.

"Through the backbone Baku-Tbilisi-Kars railway line, Baku International Sea Trade Port, along with an ambitious investor-friendly Alat Free Economic Zone, Azerbaijan continues its practical contribution to the development of the Trans-Caspian International Transport Route, Lapis Lazuli transport route, as well as the North-South, South-West and North-West trade routes, aimed at increasing transit capacity of the entire region," Bayramov said.

The minister also focused on Azerbaijan's efforts to contribute Europe's energy security.

"Four and half years after the inauguration of construction works, the Trans-Adriatic Pipeline commenced commercial operations. This development allows us to build on the success of the Southern Gas Corridor. We are closely working with the EU in order to extend gas supply geography. This project not just enhances the energy security, but will also play a critical role in transition to a net-zero emission energy system in Europe. Our initiatives, which bring together the countries of the region and enable to build a shared prosperous future, are the best examples of our interest and capacity to expand and deepen regional cooperation. We are ready for future collaboration," he reiterated.

Meanwhile, Bayramov aded that "only with shared commitment and full compliance with the international obligations, particularly those relating to respect for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of States and inviolability of their internationally recognized borders, we can achieve peaceful, prosperous and stable future".

Karabakh war

Bayramov outlined the role of conflicts in prolonging foreign occupation and said the lack of accountability endanger peace and security.

"It gives me a pleasure to inform the Council that the illegal Armenian occupation of the territories of Azerbaijan which was a threat to peace and security in the South Caucasus and wider Europe, has come to an end. Azerbaijan regained control over its territories that were under Armenian occupation for almost three decades in blatant violation of the four UN Security Council resolutions. The implementation of decisions adopted by the principal organs of the United Nations is key to the effective and accountable functioning of the international legal order," he said.

Bayramov stressed the fact that Azerbaijan acted on its sovereign soil and took adequate and proportionate measures necessary to repulse the imminent threat to its sovereignty and territorial integrity, and security of its civilian population. He noted that the Azerbaijani armed forces used force exclusively against legitimate military targets strictly complying with international humanitarian law.

"The range and consistency of the attacks as well as the statements of the Armenian side before and during the military operations proved once again that the attacks on Azerbaijani civilians and civilian infrastructure have been preplanned and executed as a part of Armenia’s criminal war strategy. As we entered the territories liberated recently by the Azerbaijani Army we once again witnessed the scale and gravity of devastation of these areas, including its cultural property. For instance, in the towns of Fizuli, Jabrayil, Zangilan and Gubadli, where Azerbaijani population before the occupation numbered dozens of thousands, practically all buildings and infrastructure were razed to the ground," he said.

Bayramov stressed that the situation is not better in Aghdam, Kalbajar and Lachin districts from where Armenian troops withdrew under the November 10 peace deal signed by the Azerbaijani, Russian and Armenian leaders. He added that departing Armenian troops and settlers deliberately and indiscriminately destroyed schools, other public infrastructure and houses of Azerbaijanis expelled from the abovementioned districts in the early 1990s.

"Forests were set on fire, inflicting irreparable damage to the environment. Religious sites were looted. All responsible for those war crimes must be brought to justice. We hope that the situation emerged after the cessation of the 44-day war would be featured as post-conflict reconstruction and rehabilitation, a stage of restoration of peaceful co-existence. The trilateral statement has created a ground for ending the almost three-decades-long armed conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan, return of the IDPs to their homes and realization of its huge economic potential. All economic and transport links in the region are supposed to be unblocked now. This can enable our region to strengthen its role in trade between Asia and Europe," he said.

Bayramov stressed that new opportunities for development and cooperation are emerging and GUAM can take advantage of the new realities.

"To this end, Azerbaijan is ready to work with its partners, including with the individual GUAM Member States, to contribute to peace and stability in the region," he said.

COVID-19

The minister also focused on the negative impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on cooperation.

"The pandemic also negatively affected cooperation within GUAM. Chairmanship program of Azerbaijan could not be implemented in full as it was planned. Nevertheless more than 30 events took place throughout the year. GUAM working groups and experts continued to work online to reinforce cooperation in the areas of common interest," he said.

Bayramov noted that soaring COVID-19 pandemic altered the dynamics of mutual engagement in various fields during 2020.

"At the national level, our efforts were directed to the fight against shattering effects of COVID-19 on population, while addressing the adverse economic and social impact of the pandemic," he said.

The minister added that at Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev's initiative, summits of the organizations currently chaired by Azerbaijan were held in May, and a special session of the UN General Assembly in response to the Covid-19 pandemic was convened on 3-4 December 2020.

"Azerbaijan has so far signed 2 donor agreements to provide voluntary financial assistance to the Covid-19 Appeal Fund of the World Health Organization (10 mln USD in total). Recently, we joined Vaccines Global Access Facility (COVAX) with a committed amount of 21 million USD. We hope that the safe and effective vaccines will soon be available, and that they will be considered as global public goods ensuring their universal distribution at affordable prices for all," he said.

Meanwhile, Trend reported that at the conclusion of the meeting, the Protocol (Minutes) of the current meeting and four resolutions (approval of the Country-coordinator of the sectoral working groups; communication strategy and rules for preparing statements and declarations; approval of the budget for 2021; handing over the chairmanship to Georgia) were adopted.

Georgian Foreign Minister David Zalkaliani, Moldovan Foreign and European Integration Minister Aureliu Ciocoi and Ukrainian Deputy Foreign Minister Vasyl Bodnar also attended the meeting which focused on the assessment of cooperation within GUAM in 2020, as well as proposals and recommendations for the coming years.

--

Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz