FM: South Caucasus to benefit from unblocked transport communications
By Vafa Ismayilova
Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov has said that all South Caucasus will benefit from the opening of transport communications in the region, the Foreign Ministry reported on October 14.
He made the remarks at a meeting of the Council of CIS foreign ministers in the Belarusian capital Minsk while commenting on unblocking of regional communications under the November 2020 trilateral peace deal signed by Baku, Moscow, and Yerevan.
The opening of communications will bring benefits to all countries in the region and will strengthen the role of the South Caucasus in international transport projects, Bayramov said.
He noted that Azerbaijan attaches great importance to cooperation within the CIS, as well as further expansion and deepening of bilateral relations with all member countries of the organization.
The minister underlined that the humanitarian sphere is one of the main areas of activity within the CIS, and the continuation of this cooperation will contribute to the further development of relations between the member countries and their peoples.
Bayramov stressed the importance of cooperation between the CIS countries in the field of migration, including on a bilateral basis.
Moreover, he recalled that Azerbaijan end the occupation of a part of its territories, which lasted for about 30 years, and thus ensured its territorial integrity as a result of last year's 44-day war..
Bayramov spoke about the issues arising from the trilateral statements of November 10, 2020, and January 11, 2021, and still existing mine threat on liberated Azerbaijani territories and its serious consequences.
He emphasized that Azerbaijan attaches great importance to peacekeeping efforts in the region, including the activities of the Joint Turkish-Russian Monitoring Center operating in liberated Aghdam region.
The minister briefed the meeting participants about the destruction of the historical, religious and cultural heritage, the urbicide, and the culturecide in the liberated lands.
He stressed that currently, the main goal is to restore the liberated territories and ensure the return of former internally displaced persons to their native lands. To this end, the restoration is underway in the liberated lands.
Despite all the difficulties, Azerbaijan is ready to normalize relations with Armenia on the basis of respect for the principles of international law, in particular sovereignty, territorial integrity and inviolability of the borders of states, Bayramov said.
Azerbaijan called for the start of the process of delimitation and demarcation of the border with Armenia in accordance with these principles, the minister said.
He also said that Azerbaijan is committed to fulfilling the obligations arising from trilateral statements, including agreements on the opening of all communications in the region.
As part of the meeting, the ministers approved the "Decision on draft Action Plan for the Year of Folk Art and Cultural Heritage in the CIS in 2022" and "Decision on the draft Statement of Heads of CIS States on Development of Cooperation in the Field of Migration".
A Moscow-brokered ceasefire deal that Baku and Yerevan signed on November 10, 2020, brought an end to six weeks of fighting between Armenia and Azerbaijan. The Azerbaijani army declared a victory against the Armenian troops. The signed agreement obliged Armenia to withdraw its troops from the Azerbaijani lands that it has occupied since the early 1990s.
The peace agreement stipulated the return of Azerbaijan's Armenian-occupied Kalbajar, Aghdam and Lachin regions and withdraw its troops from the Azerbaijani lands that it has occupied since the early 1990s. Before the signing of the deal, the Azerbaijani army had liberated around 300 villages, settlements, city centers, and historic Shusha city.
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