Azernews.Az

By Sara Rajabova

Azerbaijan has always put particular emphasis on developing relations with all member states of the Arab League.

Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov made the remarks on May 13 while speaking at the First Session of the Arab Cooperation and Economic Forum with Central Asia and the Republic of Azerbaijan in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

"Being closely linked to Arab states through historical, religious, and cultural bonds, Azerbaijan has always attached particular importance to developing relations with each Arab League member state, supported by strong political, economic, and commercial pillars," Mammadyarov said.

He noted that Azerbaijan's friendly ties with Arab states have also paved the way for long-term and meaningful cooperation under the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, the League of Arab States, and Gulf Cooperation Council.

"It is therefore logical that Azerbaijan has hailed the initiative of the Arab League-Central Asia-Azerbaijan Cooperation Forum and participated actively in its advancement. It is our strong belief that this mechanism will be instrumental in furthering our political, economic, and humanitarian cooperation to a qualitatively new level, and fostering greater mutual understanding, respect, and support," Mammadyarov said.

He also said Azerbaijan has always been in solidarity with the Islamic Ummah in sharing its problems and grievances. "Our support was particularly evident and helpful during Azerbaijan's membership at the UN Security Council in 2012-2013."

Mammadyarov noted that the first special meeting of the UN Security Council and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation on 'Strengthening partnership synergy between the UN and OIC' was convened at Azerbaijan's initiative on October 28, 2013, under its Presidency.

"One of the outcomes of this historical meeting was an agreement to convene such a meeting biannually under the presidency of any OIC Member State that is a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council," he said.

Touching upon the Armenia-Azerbaijan Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, Mammadyarov said Armenia continues to use force to sustain the military occupation of Azerbaijan's territories and prevent one million Azerbaijani refugees and IDP's from returning to their homes.

"None of Azerbaijan's historic and cultural monuments were left undamaged, and no mosques and other sacred sites escaped desecration both in the occupied territories and Armenia itself," he noted.

Mammadyarov praised the Islamic countries` support for Azerbaijan`s position on the Nagorno-Karabakh dispute.

"We reiterate our sincere gratitude to the Islamic Ummah for their long-standing position in condemning Armenia's aggression and occupation of 20 percent of Azerbaijan's territories, with notorious ethnic cleansing on the seized lands. We are particularly grateful to the Islamic Ummah for their unanimous call for the immediate, unconditional, and complete withdrawal of Armenia's armed forces from our occupied territories, as demanded by the relevant resolutions and decisions of the UN Security Council, OIC, and other international organizations," Mammadyarov said.

"We believe that this position with regards to Armenia-Azerbaijan conflict will also be reflected in the attitude of all our brotherly Arab League member states," he added.

Afterwards, Mammadyarov said Azerbaijan continues to support Palestinians and their efforts to achieve peace, stability, and establishment of a sovereign and independent Palestinian state.

"We are pleased to witness some positive developments and encouraging improvements, such as the admission of the State of Palestine to UNESCO and the decision of the UN General Assembly to accord Palestine non-Member Observer State status," he said.

Mammadyarov also touched upon the Syrian conflict, saying Azerbaijan is deeply concerned about the escalating violence in Syria that has claimed so many innocent lives and endangered regional and international security.

Azerbaijan supports the efforts of the UN and the League of Arab States to find a peaceful solution to the Syrian crisis, Mammadyarov stressed.

He expressed regret that the world continues to face such challenges as defamation of religions, incitement to religious hatred, and Islamophobia.

The forum can also be helpful in fostering dialogue among civilizations and preventing prejudices and stereotypes, he added.

Mammadyarov also offered his views on the Plan of Action suggested at the First Session of the Arab Cooperation and Economic Forum with Central Asia and the Republic of Azerbaijan.

"While preparing the cooperation agenda, we should be practical and pursue a step-by-step approach targeting specific areas of common interest, be it a bilateral or a broader format. In this regard, we would like to share our views on:

1. Trade and investment promotion measures: organizing visits of trade missions, chamber of commerce, and exhibitions on a regular basis and encouraging the use of business portals. In this respect, we welcome the results of the joint meeting of the chambers of commerce held in Riyadh on April 29, 2014.

2. Cooperation in the transport sector: the transit and economic integration potential of our regions remains largely untapped. Once finalized, the Baku-Tbilisi-Kars railway connecting Azerbaijan-Georgia-Turkey will diversify routes within the regional transport corridor further, and can facilitate the flow of goods from China to Arab States. The Baku-Tbilisi-Kars railway network can also be connected with the prospective GCC railroad system.

3. We all know that the best investments are the ones made in education. Azerbaijan stands ready to extend its full support to setting up special academic exchange programs to give further impetus to educational cooperation.

4. Learning experiences and innovations applied in the development of industry and fuel-energy sectors is also of great interest to us.

5. Some Arab League member states are popular traditional or emerging tourism destinations. We are very keen on exchanging experience and developing tourism economy and would like to have a leading role in the fields of business and culture.

6. Cooperation among media with a view to facilitating information, news exchange, and public relations," Mammadyarov said.

The final declaration of the Arab Cooperation and Economic Forum with Central Asia and the Republic of Azerbaijan was adopted in Riyadh.

The declaration highlights the importance of settling the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict in accordance with the UN Security Council resolutions and Azerbaijan's sovereignty and territorial integrity.

The Riyadh declaration also underscores the significance of the Baku Humanitarian Forum, initiated by Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev and held annually under his patronage.

The Arab Cooperation and Economic Forum with Central Asia and the Republic of Azerbaijan also signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on cooperation in Riyadh.

The MoU notes the importance of expanding cooperation in political, economic, trade, financial, technical, social, and other fields, and will promote the creation of cooperation mechanisms between the Arab Cooperation and Economic Forum with Central Asia and Azerbaijan.

The MoU also stresses commitment to the norms and principles of the international law, especially where countries' territorial integrity and sovereignty is concerned.

Azerbaijan and Saudi Arabia have signed a protocol on the convention for the avoidance of double taxation and prevention of fiscal evasion with respect to taxes on income and property.

The protocol was inked by Mammadyarov and Saudi Minister of Finance Abdulaziz Al-Assaf.