Azernews.Az

By Gulgiz Dadashova

An international conference on cooperation in fighting terrorism is underway in the Azerbaijani capital Baku with the government's support.

President Ilham Aliyev on Monday attended the opening of the International Conference on Strengthening Cooperation in Preventing Terrorism, which was organized jointly with the United Nations and the Islamic Educational Scientific and Cultural Organization (ISESCO), and made a speech at the event.

President Aliyev noted that the fight against terrorism had always been relevant and said that Azerbaijan was one of the countries affected by terror.

The President stated that the country has repeatedly been exposed to terrorist attacks committed by the Armenians, which claimed the lives of about 2,000 Azerbaijani citizens and injured thousands more. President Aliyev informed the conference participants that the Armenian terrorism has always been accompanied by aggressive separatism, which led to the occupation of 20 percent of Azerbaijani territory.

According to the President, the Armenia-Azerbaijan Nagorno-Karabakh conflict poses a major threat to international and regional security. He said that the decisions of international organizations in this regard remain unfulfilled.

President Aliyev said Azerbaijan was continuing its efforts towards a peaceful settlement of the conflict and brought to the attention of the conference participants that Armenia nonetheless was trying to maintain the status quo in the issue.

The President also informed the attendees about one of the most tragic events of the 20th century -- the Khojaly genocide, referring to the massacre committed against Azerbaijanis by Armenians during the 1990s war. He emphasized that the parliaments of four countries have recognized this tragedy as an act of genocide and that work in this direction was under way in other countries as well.

The head of state also stressed the need for consolidating the efforts of the international community in the fight against terrorism.

"Azerbaijan is doing everything in its power to ensure that the fight against terrorism is constantly in the spotlight. The fact that this conference, which brings together representatives and experts from more than 50 countries and international organizations, is being held in Baku is further evidence of the importance that Azerbaijan attaches to the subject," President Aliyev said.

He said that the matter was in the focus of attention in May 2012 when the country presided over the UN Security Council for the first time.

Noting that terrorism was the biggest obstacle to progress of countries, the President emphasized the particular importance of preventing the causes of terrorism and its development.

President Aliyev stressed that the attempts to associate terrorism with Islam and Islamophobia trends were of great concern, saying that this was hurting the feelings of millions of people around the world.

Aliyev indicated that representatives of different ethnicities live in the atmosphere of peace and friendship in Azerbaijan and that there is no alternative to the multiculturalism existing in Azerbaijan.

Touching upon the role of education in the fight against terrorism, the President said that the country is attaching great importance to the issues of education and there is 100 percent literacy rate in Azerbaijan. He also said extensive investment is being made in information and communication technologies and the space industry is developing in Azerbaijan.

"One of the important factors in the fight against terrorism is also reduction of poverty," Aliyev said, adding that Azerbaijan has made strides in this area.

"In 10 years, the poverty rate has fallen from 50 to 6 percent. It is expected that poverty as a social factor will be completely eliminated in the coming years. The solution of these issues is important for all countries, because these factors can be used as the primary means in combating terrorism," he noted.

Addressing the event, Executive Director of the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), Yury Fedotov, expressed his gratitude to President Aliyev for the role Azerbaijan has played in the international arena and for its contribution to security in the world.

Later, Fedotov communicated the address of UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon to the conference participants. The address expressed gratitude on the occasion of such an important forum being held in Azerbaijan.

"Our biggest weapon is our mobilization," Fedotov said, noting that this conference provided an excellent opportunity to discuss ways of combating terrorism and strengthening cooperation in this area.

ISESCO Director General Abdulaziz Othman Altwaijri noted that the conference was being held with the support of the Azerbaijani President and thanked the head of state for that.

"The Islamic religion considers the killing of innocent people a grave sin. Therefore, terrorism has nothing to do with any religion. It is a crime," Altwaijri said, noting that the common goal was to develop closer cooperation.

He noted the importance of channeling all the efforts into the development of education, science and culture.

Azerbaijan's Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov, who chaired the first session, also stressed the importance of the conference, saying it is a good platform for discussing ways to fight international terrorism.

Chairman of the Caucasus Muslims Office Sheikhulislam Allahshukur Pashazade also underlined the significance of such events in terms of terrorism prevention.

CIS Executive Secretary Sergei Lebedev speaking at the conference voiced concern in the international community over the growing terrorism and various forms of extremism.

"Terrorism, illicit drug and arms trafficking and religious extremism have become more widespread in the world. There is such a problem in the CIS," he said, adding that the CIS, in cooperation with other international organizations, is combating these problems.

He stressed that there is hope that the Baku conference would be another means of combating terrorism by contributing to joint activities in the field.

Addressing the event, Georgian Foreign Minister Maia Panjikidze said that establishing international partnership is important in terms of intensifying the dialogue to increase the efficiency of combating terrorism.

Panjikidze expressed concern that Georgian territory can be used as a transit route for criminal gangs. She stressed that it is necessary to use international mechanisms to resolve this problem.

She also stressed that a special organization which is engaged in freezing the accounts of various criminal groups and preventing the sale of arms was established to effectively implement the resolutions of the UN Security Council.

In turn, Azerbaijan's National Security Minister Eldar Mahmudov stated that international cooperation in the fight against terrorism has a great place in the state policy of Azerbaijan.

Mahmudov noted that in recent years extremist forces have widely used the Internet and social networks to attract supporters. The use of Internet resources for the promotion of radical religious views, as well as conspiracy between the terrorists and spread of methods on the preparation and use of explosives is of concern to the Azerbaijani public and the world, he added.

According to Mahmudov, cybercrime is a new sphere in the world. In connection with this international cooperation in this area and full support for telecom companies is important.

Chairman of Azerbaijan's State Committee for Work with Religious Organizations Elshad Isgandarov said religious radicalism and extremism has become one of the sources of terrorism. Isgandarov noted that there was no relationship between terrorism and religion, and labeled radicalism and extremism as a threat to society. The Committee chairman also stressed the role of enlightenment in reducing the influence of radical groups.

However, Azerbaijani First Deputy Parliamentary Speaker Ziyafat Asgarov stated that the international community has not provided the necessary support to his country in the fight against Armenian terrorism.

Asgarov also said Azerbaijan has adopted a number of documents on counter-terrorism and joined relevant international conventions, and added that Baku is always open to new proposals.

Talking to media on the sidelines of the international event, GUAM Secretary General Valery Chechelashvili regarded unsettled conflicts as causes of concern. He said that GUAM contributes to a peaceful settlement of conflicts in the territory of its member states through a consolidated platform.

The two-day conference brings together representatives of more than 50 countries, including ministers of foreign affairs, secretary generals of 25 international organizations, officials of the UN, OSCE and NATO, and 30 experts.

The conference seeks to initiate an in-depth and forward-looking exchange of views on challenges and opportunities for preventing and countering terrorism, and help to better understand the root causes of terrorism and generate ideas for countering stereotypes and misconceptions that deepen patterns of mistrust and hostility between societies.

The event also aims to generate ideas and proposals for providing technical assistance to national authorities by the UNODC and other members of the Counter-Terrorism Implementation Task Force (CTITF) with the view of strengthening their capacities to prevent and combat terrorism, and provide fresh impetus to dialogue among cultures. Other objectives include contributing to improvement of understanding by the West of Islam and its values and facilitating the correction of distorted perceptions of the West in the societies with Muslim majority.