Azernews.Az

Azerbaijani First Lady Mehriban Aliyeva has said the threat of terrorism remains high in the world despite vigorous international efforts, Azerbaijan’s state-run AzerTAc news agency reported.

Aliyeva told the opening of an international congress in Paris devoted to terrorism victims on Thursday that Azerbaijan has also suffered from terror, as it faced military aggression and occupation of its territory by neighboring Armenia after gaining independence from the USSR in 1991.

"Over 30 terror acts which killed more than 2,000 people have been perpetrated in our country," Aliyeva said.

About 20 percent of Azerbaijani territory has been under the occupation of Armenian armed forces since a fragile ceasefire was signed in 1994 following a lengthy war that displaced up to a million Azerbaijanis.

Aliyeva stressed that terrorism poses a threat to all countries and nations. She said that immediately after the September 11, 2001 attacks on the United States, Azerbaijan joined the global fight against terror and has since made a significant contribution to these efforts as part of the international anti-terror coalition.

The first lady said the congress underway in the French capital represented a great opportunity for a detailed consideration of the challenges facing the world in its fight against terror and efforts to eliminate its gruesome consequences.

"Indeed, if we do not properly take care of the victims of terror, we can’t defeat it. Naturally, the efforts aimed at easing the suffering sustained by the victims of terror acts should be in spotlight."

According to Aliyeva, governments, non-governmental organizations and civil society as a whole should redouble their efforts to provide this extremely vulnerable group of society with financial, medical, advisory and other assistance.

"We can assure these people that we will never forget everything that happened to them," she said.

The Heydar Aliyev Foundation, headed by Azerbaijan’s first lady, is among the partners of the VIIth International Congress of Victims of Terrorism.

The congress is held by the French Association of Victims of Terrorism in partnership with the International Observatory for the Victims of Terrorism (CEU) under the patronage of French President Nicolas Sarkozy.