Azernews.Az

By Sara Rajabova

A high-level meeting of the United Nations Security Council on strengthening the partnership between the United Nations and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) was held on October 28 on Azerbaijan's initiative.

The meeting, chaired by Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov, was attended by UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, OIC Secretary General Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu, as well as senior representatives of the Security Council.

As the author of this first initiative on strengthening the partnership synergy between the UN and OIC, Azerbaijan has set as priority goals of its UN Security Council presidency further development of this issue and outlining new forms of cooperation between the two organizations.

While addressing the Security Council meeting, Minister Mammadyarov said for the first time the UNSC is considering cooperation with the OIC in a special session, which speaks for itself, the Foreign Ministry's press service said.

According to Mammadyarov, the OIC is the second largest intergovernmental organization after the UN, with 57 member states, and this necessitates closer cooperation and coordination between the Security Council and the OIC in order to benefit from global, regional and local approaches in addressing relevant issues.

"A just, lasting and comprehensive peace in the Middle East and comprehensive resolution of the Arab-Israeli conflict continue to remain among the most pressing issues on the agenda of both the United Nations and OIC. Azerbaijan welcomes efforts aimed at the resumption of direct negotiations between Israel and Palestine," Mammadyarov said.

He added that Azerbaijan hosted the conference of the OIC foreign ministers on the establishment of Islamic Financial Safety Net in Support of Palestine and the Donors Conference in Support of the City of Al-Quds, and that the OIC member states and international organizations which attended the conference pledged to contribute to improving Palestine's economy, infrastructure, healthcare and education.

With regard to Syria, Mammadyarov said Azerbaijan hopes that the unanimous and strong position put forward recently by the Security Council will contribute to finding a political solution to the conflict in that country, putting an end to the suffering of the Syrian people.

Speaking about the strengthening of Azerbaijan's position in the international arena, he said that Azerbaijan is a reliable partner that continues to play an increasingly important role in the enhancing of energy security.

Mammadyarov said that in recent years OIC has been an important partner of the UN in ensuring international peace and security and the global spread of the peace culture.

The minister said that many of the issues on the Security Council agenda relate to the Islamic world.

Touching upon the Armenia-Azerbaijan Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, Mammadyarov said that in the beginning the OIC assessed as an aggression Armenia's territorial claims against Azerbaijan on the basis of the UN Security Council's four resolutions.

According to him, a number of OIC decisions aiming to ensure the implementation of the resolutions played a crucial role in the consideration of the issue of Azerbaijani territories' occupation by the international community, including the UNSC and General Assembly.

Mammadyarov called for a stop of Armenia's aggressive policy.

"The only way of resolving the conflict and establishment of normal relations between the two countries is putting an end to the occupation of Azerbaijani territories, restoration of the country's sovereignty and territorial integrity, immediate ensuring of the right of refugees and displaced persons to return to their native lands," Mammadyarov said.

Azerbaijan holds this month's rotating presidency of the Security Council.

The OIC's Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu placed a special emphasis on the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict in his speech and expressed concern over the ongoing occupation of Azerbaijani lands by Armenia.

He stressed the importance of resolving the conflict on the basis of Azerbaijan's territorial integrity, the principle of inviolability of internationally recognized borders and relevant UNSC resolutions.

At the end of the meeting, the president of the Security Council made a statement on behalf of the Council.

Reading out the statement, Azerbaijan's ambassador to the UN Agshin Mehdiyev said the 15-member body "recognizes and further encourages" the active contribution of the OIC to the efforts that aim to realize the purposes and principles embodied in the UN Charter.

The statement said that the Security Council realizes the importance of cooperation between the UN and regional and subregional organizations, and arrangements on matters relating to the maintenance of international peace and security and consistent with Chapter VIII of the UN Charter can improve collective security.

"The Security Council acknowledges the continuing dialogue between the United Nations and the OIC in the fields of peacemaking, preventive diplomacy, peacekeeping and peacebuilding. The Security Council commends the OIC members states for their ongoing commitment to international peacekeeping and peacebuilding, including through the contribution of troops to UN peacekeeping operations," the statement said.

According to the statement, the Council acknowledges the intention expressed by representatives of both organizations to reinforce cooperation in areas of common interest, such as conflict prevention and mediation, human rights, humanitarian assistance and refugees, intercultural dialogue, and the fight against terrorism.

Azerbaijan has acted as a non-permanent member of the UNSC since January 1, 2012, and its membership will continue till December 31, 2013.

Azerbaijan held the chairmanship of the Security Council in May 2012, and is chairing it again in October.