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September 21, 2005 № 20

Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov Address UN to Discuss Situation in Occupied Azerbaijani UN Summit and General Debate Territories

During his visit to New York to participate at the The issue entitled “The situation in the occupied work of 60th session of the UN General Assembly Azerbaijani territories”, which was included in the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Azerbaijan Elmar agenda of the previous 59th session of the UN Mammadyarov made statements at the UN Summit General Assembly, will be discussed at the 60th and the general debate. Foreign Minister has session of the UNGA. Despite resistance by restated that Azerbaijan would never agree with the Armenia, the issue was included in the session occupation of its territories. Mr. Mammadyarov said agenda. The OSCE fact-finding mission delegated that the Azerbaijan backs peaceful settlement of the to the region this year confirmed the illegal Armenia-Azerbaijan conflict in accordance with the settlements of Armenians in the occupied territories norms and principles of the international law as well of Azerbaijan. Azerbaijani representative at the as the resolutions of the UN Security Council and organization Yashar Aliyev says the UN has again the Council of Europe. Minister spoke about the stated its firm position by backing Azerbaijan’s fair significance of transregional projects - -Tbilisi- step. “This is an important political and diplomatic Ceycan oil and Baku-Tbilisi-Erzerum gas pipelines factor for the liberation of the occupied territories”, and Baku-Tbilisi-Akhalkalaki-Kars railroad. He he added. also touched upon the issues of democratization and economic reforms in Azerbaijan, fight against International Crisis Group Issued Report on terrorism and regional and global security. Text of Armenia-Azerbaijan conflict statements is available at: An international organization – International Crisis http://www.mfa.gov.az/eng/spee/index.shtml Group (ICG) working to prevent conflicts At the UN headquarter Elmar Mammadyarov worldwide has issued report on Armenia- signed following multilateral treaties: International Azerbaijani conflict. The ICG has been dealing with Convention for "The Suppression of Acts of conflicts in 44 countries around the world for ten Nuclear Terrorism" and "Optional Protocol to the years. Representatives of the ICG visited Azerbaijan Convention against Torture and other Cruel, and Armenia last week presenting the document Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment". covering settlement proposals of the long-standing conflict. ICG vice-president Alain Deletroz told a On the sidelines of the General Assembly the news conference in Baky that Armenia should not Minister has had bilateral meetings with a number insist on the determination of the status of the of foreign dignitaries, including Prof. Ekmeleddin Nagorno-Karabakh region of Azerbaijan, as Ihsanoglu, Secretary-General of the Organization of disputes over the issue have considerably delayed the Islamic Conference, Benita Ferrero Waldner, the conflict resolution. "Armenia must withdraw EU Commissioner for the External Relations and from seven occupied Azerbaijani districts, refugees European Neighborhood Policy, as well with should return home, trust be restored between the Foreign Ministers of Bosnia-Herzegovina, Cuba, two sides, and at last, the Karabagh status Egypt, Iran, Ukraine, high-ranking officials of determined." Deletroz said that the activities to be United Kingdom and Belgium, leadership of the carried out prior to the status determination will American Jewish Committee, and others. take at least 15-20 years. Deletroz said that just like all other international organizations, the ICG the ambassador said. “ plans to implement the considers the Nagorno-Karabakh a part of MASHAV international cooperation program in Azerbaijan. "This is the legal aspect of the issue and Azerbaijan within the next 1-2 years to achieve there is no problem with it. The problem is that the these goals.” Lenk expressed a hope that this will Nagorno-Karabakh is de-facto in the hands of help efficiently use revenues from the Baku-Tbilisi- Armenians." The ICG project director on South Ceyhan main export pipeline and bring its benefits Caucasus Sabin Frasier said the organization has to the future generations. welcomed the resumption of activity of the Khankandi district constituency in the Nagorno- HP is to Establish Production of Servers Karabakh, which will allow ethnic Armenian Hewlett Packard is planning to organize production citizens of Azerbaijan to vote in the November of the servers with optimized parameters “Thin parliament elections. Client” stations at the “Kur” computer assembly NATO Warns Against Melange Threat plant in Azerbaijan. General Manager of the one of HP in the CIS countries Hilmar Lorenz said during NATO has warned that missile fuel waste – his visit in Azerbaijan that the produced equipment mélange left by Soviet Army in Azerbaijan and will be given to the Ministry of Education to be being kept in the country may pose a serious threat installed in public schools and universities. to the environment and population if it is not destroyed over the next two years. The warning Russian Orthodox Leader Visited Azerbaijan came over the fact that the safety term of mélange Patriarch Alexy II of Moscow and Whole containers, kept in the central Mingachevir and Russia visited Azerbaijan on 15-16 September at the Kurdamir districts since the Soviet times, is about to invitation of President and head of the expire. The Ministry of Ecology has confirmed the Caucasian Moslems Board Sheik-ul-Islam reports warning. An appeal has been sent to Allahshukur Pashazade. Alexy II held a meeting international organizations over this problem, the with representatives from the Russian community in ministry said. Azerbaijan, delivered a service at an Orthodox Turkish, Azerbaijani, Georgian Ministers church that he consecrated during his previous visit Discuss Rail Project to the country in May 2001. The Church of Myrrh- Bearing Women in Baku was built in 1905 with the Turkish Transport Minister Binali Yildirim met money of Azerbaijani oil magnate and patron Transport Minister Ziya Mammadov of Azerbaijan Zeinalabdin Tagiyev. It was ruined and Minister of Economic Development Irakli during the Soviet period and rebuilt with the Chogovadze of Georgia in Istanbul to discuss Baku- assistance of Russia's LUKOIL Company. Tbilisi-Akhalkalaki-Kars railway project. The project aims to set up a direct railway line between Groundbreaking for First Catholic Church in Turkey and Georgia, and between Turkey and Post-Soviet Azerbaijan

Azerbaijan via Georgia. Three countries signed a Cardinal Crescenzio Sepe, the prefect of the memorandum of understanding on 28 December Congregation for Evangelization, led 2004 to put the project into force. groundbreaking ceremonies for the construction of Israel Plans to Implement International the first Catholic church to be built in Azerbaijan Cooperation Program in Azerbaijan since the Communist era. During the September 11 ceremony, Cardinal Sepe spoke of the importance The Israeli government is interested in the of inter-religious dialogue in the former Soviet development of Azerbaijan’s non-oil sector and its republic, where 98 percent of the population is regions, Israel’s new ambassador to Azerbaijan Muslim. Although Christians have been present in Arthur Lenk said in a meeting with President Ilham Azerbaijan since the 1st century AD, all Catholic Aliyev. Lenk noted that an Israeli expert will head a churches were destroyed during the fierce $3 million program to be implemented in the persecution of the Communist era. country jointly by the UN and Asian Development ______Embassy’s Newsletter is compiled from various sources Bank over the next 18 months. The program will promote increasing the potential for ‘de- centralization and democratization’ in Azerbaijan,