Azerbaijan has become famous as an place where people of different ethnic and religious backgrounds have always lived in peace and harmony, first vice-president of the Republic of Azerbaijan Mehriban Aliyeva said at the reception given in honor of the foreign ministers of the Non-Aligned Movement.
She noted that the conference titled 'Promoting international peace and security for sustainable development' is of very symbolic significance. "Different civilizations have been here for centuries - in the intersection of Europe and Asia. Azerbaijan has become famous as an place where people of different ethnic and religious backgrounds have always lived in peace and harmony," the first vice-president of Azerbaijan stressed.
Azerbaijan has always done everything possible to promote humanism, dialogue and solidarity, she said. "One of the main principles of our policy is the provision of equal rights for all citizens, regardless of their ethnicity, religion or social status," Mehriban Aliyeva said. "This principle was defined 100 years ago - in 1918, when Azerbaijan created the first parliamentary republic in the Muslim world. It was the Azerbaijan Democratic Republic. At that time Azerbaijan became the first Muslim country that granted both men and women political rights," the first vice-president recalled.
Mehriban Aliyeva also drew attention to the fact that due to the active role in the dialogue between civilizations, Azerbaijan is known as one of the centers of multiculturalism in the world. She noted that Azerbaijan holds various international events to discuss numerous serious problems. As an example, the first vice-president cited the Baku process, which this year marks 10 years. "Azerbaijan is one of the few countries that are a member of both the Council of Europe and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation," she recalled. The goal of the Baku process is to develop dialogue and cooperation between Islamic and Western civilizations, peoples and cultures, Mehriban Aliyeva said. "We invited the ministers of the member countries of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation to meet their colleagues from the Council of Europe. For the first time in history the ministers of both organizations met in Baku," she said. In addition, the first vice-president cited the World Forum on Intercultural Dialogue, supported by the United Nations, UNESCO, ISESCO, the Council of Europe and many other organizations.
Mehriban Aliyeva noted with regret that Azerbaijan is still face to face with a major unresolved problem. "This is the Armenian-Azerbaijani Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. As a result of Armenia's aggression, 20% of the internationally recognized territory of Azerbaijan were occupied. One million Azerbaijanis have become refugees and IDPs. We want to settle this conflict peacefully," she stressed. "However, Armenia ignores peaceful efforts and continues its aggression. The conflict must be resolved within the framework of the principles of international law and territorial integrity of Azerbaijan," the first vice-president said. "The UN Security Council adopted four resolutions demanding the immediate, complete and unconditional withdrawal of Armenian troops from the Azerbaijani territories, but Armenia refuses to comply with them," she noted.
"The territorial integrity of our country is openly recognized by the member countries of the Non-Aligned Movement, which has always supported our political position at the global level. In this regard, the organization adopted several resolutions," Mehriban Aliyeva recalled and thanked for this support.
The first vice-president also noted that next year Baku will host the summit of the countries of the Non-Aligned Movement. "In the next three years, Azerbaijan will chair this important organization uniting 120 member countries," she added. "All these steps, including this conference in Baku, once again confirm our successful cooperation," Mehriban Aliyeva pointed out.
"Despite the problems that we faced in the first years of independence, Azerbaijan defined its successful development strategy," she said. "Our country has implemented important political and economic reforms. Using our energy resources, we invest in the non-oil sector, human capital and infrastructure, which helps us to ensure the sustainable development of our country," the first vice-president said.
Mehriban Aliyeva recalled that Azerbaijan is a candidate-city for holding the World Expo 2025, adding that the country has been an active participant of the Expo movement since 2000. "Our national pavilions received awards in Milan 2015, in Antalya 2016 and in Astana 2017," she clarified.
The first vice-president assured that Azerbaijan is ready to host the World Expo 2025 at a high level, adding that "the country has great experience in organizing international events."
"If our candidacy wins, Azerbaijan will be the first country in the whole of Eastern Europe, the Caucasus and the Caspian region to host the World Expo. I hope that you will support our candidacy at Expo 2025," the first vice-president of Azerbaijan said.
