Azernews.Az

By Sara Rajabova

Azerbaijan's membership in the United Nations Security Council will undoubtedly contribute to the country's unwavering determination to further support international peace and security, as well as cross cultural dialogue, Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov said.

The UN Security Council membership has opened a new page in the country's foreign policy, Mammadyarov added.

Mammadyarov has made the statements in an article entitled 'Azerbaijan at the UN Security Council 2012-2013: experience earned' published in EU Reporter newspaper.

Mammadyarov said as a nation suffering from the occupation of its territories and forcible displacement of almost one million people by Armenia, Azerbaijan still witnesses grave and systematic violations of fundamental norms and principles of international law.

Armenia hasn't fulfilled the four UN Security Council resolutions adopted 20 years ago, which demands the immediate, complete and unconditional withdrawal of Armenian armed forces from the occupied territories of Azerbaijan.

"Shortly after Azerbaijan's election to the UN Security Council as a non-permanent member, President Ilham Aliyev declared that his nation's priorities would be to promote the ideals of justice and supremacy of international law enshrined in the UN Charter. Guided by this vision, Azerbaijan worked hard over its UN Security Council tenure to share its experiences and help bring about global peace and security," Mammadyarov said.

As for the discussions over the Syrian crisis, he said under Azerbaijan's presidency the statement adopted by the Council provided the solid basis and support for addressing the humanitarian consequences of the conflict.

He also added that the progress was made on a number of other tough issues under Azerbaijan's presidency the Council.

"The 10 non-permanent members can make a difference, affect outcomes and contribute constructively to consensus building. They bring diverse and unique perspectives based on their regional knowledge and experiences. It is especially apparent when a non-permanent member holds the presidency," Mammadyarov said.

Azerbaijan vacated its seat on the UN Security Council, the world body's power centre, as its two-year term expired on December 31, 2013.

Azerbaijan assumed UN Security Council rotating presidency two times in May 2012 and October 2013. The country organized a number of discussions and events on the important issues.

During Azerbaijan's first UNSC presidency in May 2012, it coordinated a high-level meeting chaired by President Ilham Aliyev on strengthening international cooperation against terrorism.

Azerbaijan convened the first-ever meeting between the UN Security Council and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation during its second presidency, in October 2013.

During the past two years, the cooperation between the UN member countries, UN Secretariat, non-governmental organizations, think tanks has been strengthened.

The issues Azerbaijan paid more attention were rule of law, prevention and resolution of conflicts, protection of civilians in an armed conflict, fight against terrorism, cooperation between the UN and regional organizations as well as Middle East peace process, situation in Syria, Afghanistan and some states in Africa.

During its presidency, Azerbaijan made every effort to press ahead with national interests at a global level.

In regard to the ongoing conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan, concerns were voiced over the continued occupation of the Azerbaijani territories by Armenia and calls were made for the resolution of the conflict on the basis of the principles of sovereignty, territorial integrity and the inviolability of internationally recognized borders of Azerbaijan and in line with Security Council resolutions.

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 had caused a lengthy war in the early 1990s.

In addition, the country raised the issue of bringing perpetrators of outrages on humanity to trial.