Azernews.Az

By Sara Rajabova

Azerbaijan's foreign minister has urged the international community to be guided by international law in the resolution of conflicts.

Elmar Mammadyarov said during a meeting of the foreign ministers of the Non-Aligned Movement within his visit to New York that the initiatives on resolution of conflicts should be based on the principles of international law.

Mammadyarov, who visited the U.S. to attend the 68th session of the UN General Assembly, attended the Non-Aligned Movement ministerial, titled "Non-Aligned Movement: Cooperation for the rule of law at the international level", the ministry's website said on September 28.

Speaking at the meeting, Mammadyarov said that the second largest association of world states after the United Nations, the Non-Aligned Movement, plays the role of a broad forum for political consultations and practical cooperation.

The minister noted that the main objective and purpose of the Non-Aligned Movement is to ensure fairness and equality in international relations and respect towards the principles and norms of international law.

Mammadyarov said that Azerbaijan, which is a member of the Movement, supports international foundations, in line with international law and the rule of law.

"Recently, international attention to the importance of the rule of law at the national and international levels has increased. But there is still a great need for eliminating the factors that pose a threat to the territorial integrity and stability and create lack of respect for human rights, for a common approach to the rule of law," Mammadyarov said.

The minister said it is necessary for the conflict parties to fulfill the obligations stemming from international humanitarian law, and added that the initiatives on conflict resolution and mediation missions should be based on peace and justice and the principles of international law.

According to Mammadyarov, Azerbaijan is ready to take specific steps to enhance cooperation for securing the rule of law internationally.

For over 20 years Azerbaijan has been suffering from Armenia's policy of aggression. Armenia occupied over 20 percent of Azerbaijan's internationally recognized territory, including Nagorno-Karabakh and seven adjacent regions, after laying territorial claims against its South Caucasus neighbor that caused a brutal war in the early 1990s. Long-standing efforts by US, Russian and French mediators have been largely fruitless so far.

As a result of the military aggression of Armenia, over 20,000 Azerbaijanis were killed, 4,866 are reported missing and almost 100,000 were injured, and 50,000 were disabled.

The UN Security Council has passed four resolutions on Armenian withdrawal from the Azerbaijani territory, but they have not been enforced to this day.