Turkish Weekly
Permanent Representative to UN: Azerbaijan has its Position on Many Issues of UNSC Agenda
Wednesday, 4 January 2012
The UN Security Council (UNSC) will hold the first working session in 2012 on Wednesday. Azerbaijan, Guatemala, Morocco, Pakistan and Togo, which were elected to the organization for 2012-2013 during the elections held at the General Assembly in October 2011, assumed their authorities as the UNSC non-permanent members on Jan.1. They replaced Bosnia and Herzegovina, Brazil, Gabon, Lebanon and Nigeria at the UNSC Council, whose two-year term expired on Dec.31, 2011.
Azerbaijan’s Permanent Representative to the UN Agshin Mehdiyev told ITAR-TASS that at the Security Council his country “plans to be actively involved in all processes taking place there, in developing and making decisions, in committees and working groups”.
With regard to the developments in Syria, Mehdiyev said that Baku “has fairly clear view” of the work in this area. “First, we support the Arab League’s actions in this direction,” he said, stressing the need that “any decision that would be taken on this issue” should not result in “further escalation of violence”. Mehdiyev said Azerbaijan “fully shares the view that both sides should refrain from any action that can lead to further escalation of tension”. “At the same time, we believe that at present one should not talk about some kind of external interference in Syrian affairs,” he added. “It is necessary to enable people to sort out their issues themselves, while avoiding any escalation of tension”.
Commenting on the possible submission of a draft resolution with the General Assembly’s recommendation to the UN Security Council to admit Palestine to the UN, Mehdiyev stressed that “Azerbaijan recognized Palestinian state long ago, and Palestinian Embassy functions in Baku”. “I think we will rely on it,” he said.
Stressing that Azerbaijan is a member of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation and Non-Aligned Movement, Mehdiyev also drew attention to the fact that his country has “its position on many issues of the UNSC agenda”. “If our position coincides with the positions of other countries at some point, then it is great. If not, then we have our principles and we are not going to disavow them,” he said.
Mehdiyev said Baku insisted and will insist on the necessity to fulfill the Security Council resolutions on the Armenian-Azerbaijani conflict. He expressed the hope that “Azerbaijan’s increased authority in the international arena and its membership to the Security Council can play a positive role in resolving the conflict”.
Mehdiyev pointed to his country’s very close relations with Russia at the UN “at all levels”.
“There are too little issues where our positions do not fully coincide,” Mehdiyev said.
“We will continue to work closely with Russia within the Security Council and beyond it,” Mehdiyev added.
