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Today, Azerbaijan
Sept 17 2010
Ilham Aliyev: International practice and international law support
Azerbaijan's position on Nagorno-Karabakh conflict - UPDATE - PHOTOS
17 September 2010 [11:38] - Today.Az
The 10th summit of the Turkish-speaking countries' Heads of State was
held at the Ciragan palace in Istanbul, Turkey on September 16.
President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev wrapped up his visit to Turkey
on Thursday. At the Istanbul Ataturk Airport decorated with the
national flags of Azerbaijan and Turkey, President Ilham Aliyev was
seen off by top Turkish state and government officials. Later the same
day, the Head of State returned home.
At the Heydar Aliyev international airport, President Ilham Aliyev was
welcomed by Prime Minister Artur Rasizade, Head of the Presidential
Administration Ramiz Mehdiyev and Baku Mayor Hajibala Abutalybov.
X X X
President of Turkey Abdullah Gul hosted an official dinner in honor of
the heads of state in Istanbul.
X X X
Following the 10th summit of the Turkish-speaking countries' Heads of
State in Istanbul, the presidents held a press conference. Turkish
President Abdullah Gul praised the summit`s work, saying it discussed
`a vide range of important questions'.
Mr. Gul said the summit participants decided to establish Cooperation
Council of Turkish-Speaking Countries. The Turkish leader said
Istanbul would be home to the Council's secretariat. According to Mr.
Gul, the Council will contribute to strengthening the relations among
the member nations. The Turkish President said Turkish diplomat Halil
Akinci was appointed as secretary general of the Council`s
secretariat.
Mr. Gul said the heads of state decided to hold next year`s summit in
Kyrgyzstan, an initiative of the Kyrgyz President. He expressed
gratitude to the presidents for participating in the summit,
emphasizing `such high-level meetings contribute to strengthening
contacts between the brotherly nations'.
Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev, Kazakh President Nursultan
Nazarbayev, Turkmen President Gurbanguly Berdymuhammedov and
Kyrgyzstan`s President for transition period Roza Otunbaeva thanked
the Turkish leader for hospitality and the well-organized summit.
The heads of state, including Azerbaijani leader Ilham Aliyev,
answered questions from journalists.
X X X
The first summit was held in Ankara in 1992. In 1994 the event was
hosted by Istanbul, in 1995 by Bishkek, in 1996 by Tashkent, in 1998
by Astana, in 2000 by Baku, in 2001 by Istanbul, in 2006 by Antalya,
and in 2009 by Nakhchivan.
Presidents Ilham Aliyev of Azerbaijan, Nursultan Nazarbayev of
Kazakhstan, Gurbanguly Berdymuhammedov of Turkmenistan and President
of Kyrgyzstan for transition period Roza Otunbaeva were welcomed by
Turkish leader Abdullah Gul. Turkey`s President made opening remarks.
President Ilham Aliyev addressed the event.
The following are excerpts from the speech:
`Esteemed Mr. President, my dear brother Abdullah Gul!
Dear friends, esteemed heads of state!
First of all I would like to express my deepest pleasure to be in
brotherly Turkey again. My dear brother Abdullah Gul, thank you very
much for the high-level organization of today`s summit. Thank you once
again for the hospitality you have been showing to us. I believe the
summit will have good results, and our countries will continue
developing their cooperation and friendly and brotherly relations.'
`Last year`s summit in Nakhchivan, an ancient land of the Turkish
world, was a remarkable event. And one year which passed since then
marked the rapid development of our bilateral relations, which
considerably strengthened both on the bilateral and multilateral
formats. On the eve of the last year`s summit the Parliamentary
Assembly of the Turkish-speaking countries (TurkPA) held its first
plenary meeting. TurkPA`s General Secretariat was established in Baku,
which is today successfully working. At the same time, Azerbaijan put
forward a proposal at the Nakhchivan summit to create a TURKSOY fund.
And I thank my esteemed counterparts for supporting this initiative.
The necessary preparatory work is already underway. The Fund will be
established in the nearest future and Azerbaijan will ensure all the
necessary financial support for the project. I believe the fund will
contribute to preserving and reconstructing all cultural monuments
across the Turkish world. And it must also contribute to developing
friendly, brotherly relations among our nations in the field of
culture.'
`We are bound together by ties of history and culture. For centuries
our peoples have been living together. And I'm happy that today our
countries are independent states, which are successfully cooperating
in all spheres of life, supporting each other.'
`Unfortunately, we've not yet achieved any result in finding a
solution to the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, Azerbaijan's most painful
problem. For long years Azerbaijan`s some twenty 20% of lands are
under Armenia`s occupation. Over one million Azerbaijanis have been
expelled from their homelands as a result of an ethnic cleansing
policy. It is a big injustice. All international organizations, the
world`s leading organizations have been supporting Azerbaijan`s just
cause. Four resolutions of the UN Security Council still remain
unfulfilled. These resolutions demand an unconditional withdrawal of
the Armenian armed forces from Azerbaijan`s lands. Azerbaijan`s
territorial integrity must be restored. Similar resolutions were
adopted by other international organizations as well, including the
Organization of the Islamic Conference, the European Parliament, the
Council of Europe, demanding international law-based settlement of the
problem.'
`The Nagorno-Karabakh is an ancient Azerbaijani land. For centuries
Azerbaijanis have been living and working there. Azerbaijan`s
territorial integrity is recognized by the international community.
Azerbaijan`s territorial integrity must be restored, and we want to
achieve this by peaceful means. Azerbaijan is a multinational country.
Representatives of different nations and religions are peacefully
co-existing in our country. There has never been a religious or
national conflict in Azerbaijan. The rights of all nations living in
our country are protected. And, of course, the Armenians have also
been living in the territory of Azerbaijan. They live here today, and
their rights are also protected.'
`The international practice and international law support our
position. The Armenia-Azerbaijan conflict must be solved on the basis
of Azerbaijan`s territorial integrity, with the Armenian minority
receiving a high status of self-governance and autonomy within
Azerbaijan. This is what the international law requires.'
`The Turkish world is a very big world. Separation of the Zangazur
region, an ancient and integral part of the Turkish world, which was
then given to Armenia, broke the geographical link within the Turkish
world.'
`But the geographical coordinates are not the only factor linking us.
We are bound by our relations, our brotherhood, our common past and
present. For twenty years our countries have been living as
independent states. Today, countries like Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan,
Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan make Turkey stronger, just
like, Turkey, in its turn, makes us stronger. Our strength is in our
unity.'
`I would like to emphasize the development of the relations between
Azerbaijan and Turkey, which signed a very important document
yesterday. We signed a Joint Declaration `On establishment of the
Council for high level strategic cooperation between the Republic of
Azerbaijan and the Republic of Turkey'. I believe the Council will be
a success. We must increase efforts to boost our relations in all
fields. Additional measures must be taken to encourage and expand our
mutual trade and economic cooperation. We must explore opportunities
of making mutual investment.'
`My dear brother Mr. Gul has today mentioned that we are working
together on energy issues. The Turkey-Azerbaijan relations are very
important in this regard. The Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan and
Baku-Tbilisi-Erzurum oil and gas pipelines have been making a
tremendous contribution to the region`s energy map, making it richer.'
`Opening of these corridors allowed us to deliver the natural
resources of the Caspian to the world markets. Oil and oil products
from Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan are being exported to the world
markets, including Turkey, through the territory of Azerbaijan.'
`We are also working on a railway project. The Baku-Tbilisi-Kars
railway will not only link Turkey with Azerbaijan, but also connect
Turkey with Central Asia and Europe with Central Asia. This railroad
is very attractive from the economic point of view, and it will also
link friendly countries. And I believe the number of such projects
will increase in the future.'
`I would like to once again emphasize the importance of today`s
summit. I`m very happy that we have revived a tradition, which once
was broken. The summit was held last year, we hold it this year, and,
I believe, we will hold it next year as well.'
X X X
Other heads of state also made remarks, which were followed by the
signing of a final document. They decided to hold the next summits in
Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan in 2011 and 2012 respectively. The heads of
state appointed the chief of the Secretariat of the Turkish-speaking
countries` Cooperation Council.
/AzerTAc/
URL: http://www.today.az/news/politics/73613.html
From: A. Papazian
Sept 17 2010
Ilham Aliyev: International practice and international law support
Azerbaijan's position on Nagorno-Karabakh conflict - UPDATE - PHOTOS
17 September 2010 [11:38] - Today.Az
The 10th summit of the Turkish-speaking countries' Heads of State was
held at the Ciragan palace in Istanbul, Turkey on September 16.
President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev wrapped up his visit to Turkey
on Thursday. At the Istanbul Ataturk Airport decorated with the
national flags of Azerbaijan and Turkey, President Ilham Aliyev was
seen off by top Turkish state and government officials. Later the same
day, the Head of State returned home.
At the Heydar Aliyev international airport, President Ilham Aliyev was
welcomed by Prime Minister Artur Rasizade, Head of the Presidential
Administration Ramiz Mehdiyev and Baku Mayor Hajibala Abutalybov.
X X X
President of Turkey Abdullah Gul hosted an official dinner in honor of
the heads of state in Istanbul.
X X X
Following the 10th summit of the Turkish-speaking countries' Heads of
State in Istanbul, the presidents held a press conference. Turkish
President Abdullah Gul praised the summit`s work, saying it discussed
`a vide range of important questions'.
Mr. Gul said the summit participants decided to establish Cooperation
Council of Turkish-Speaking Countries. The Turkish leader said
Istanbul would be home to the Council's secretariat. According to Mr.
Gul, the Council will contribute to strengthening the relations among
the member nations. The Turkish President said Turkish diplomat Halil
Akinci was appointed as secretary general of the Council`s
secretariat.
Mr. Gul said the heads of state decided to hold next year`s summit in
Kyrgyzstan, an initiative of the Kyrgyz President. He expressed
gratitude to the presidents for participating in the summit,
emphasizing `such high-level meetings contribute to strengthening
contacts between the brotherly nations'.
Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev, Kazakh President Nursultan
Nazarbayev, Turkmen President Gurbanguly Berdymuhammedov and
Kyrgyzstan`s President for transition period Roza Otunbaeva thanked
the Turkish leader for hospitality and the well-organized summit.
The heads of state, including Azerbaijani leader Ilham Aliyev,
answered questions from journalists.
X X X
The first summit was held in Ankara in 1992. In 1994 the event was
hosted by Istanbul, in 1995 by Bishkek, in 1996 by Tashkent, in 1998
by Astana, in 2000 by Baku, in 2001 by Istanbul, in 2006 by Antalya,
and in 2009 by Nakhchivan.
Presidents Ilham Aliyev of Azerbaijan, Nursultan Nazarbayev of
Kazakhstan, Gurbanguly Berdymuhammedov of Turkmenistan and President
of Kyrgyzstan for transition period Roza Otunbaeva were welcomed by
Turkish leader Abdullah Gul. Turkey`s President made opening remarks.
President Ilham Aliyev addressed the event.
The following are excerpts from the speech:
`Esteemed Mr. President, my dear brother Abdullah Gul!
Dear friends, esteemed heads of state!
First of all I would like to express my deepest pleasure to be in
brotherly Turkey again. My dear brother Abdullah Gul, thank you very
much for the high-level organization of today`s summit. Thank you once
again for the hospitality you have been showing to us. I believe the
summit will have good results, and our countries will continue
developing their cooperation and friendly and brotherly relations.'
`Last year`s summit in Nakhchivan, an ancient land of the Turkish
world, was a remarkable event. And one year which passed since then
marked the rapid development of our bilateral relations, which
considerably strengthened both on the bilateral and multilateral
formats. On the eve of the last year`s summit the Parliamentary
Assembly of the Turkish-speaking countries (TurkPA) held its first
plenary meeting. TurkPA`s General Secretariat was established in Baku,
which is today successfully working. At the same time, Azerbaijan put
forward a proposal at the Nakhchivan summit to create a TURKSOY fund.
And I thank my esteemed counterparts for supporting this initiative.
The necessary preparatory work is already underway. The Fund will be
established in the nearest future and Azerbaijan will ensure all the
necessary financial support for the project. I believe the fund will
contribute to preserving and reconstructing all cultural monuments
across the Turkish world. And it must also contribute to developing
friendly, brotherly relations among our nations in the field of
culture.'
`We are bound together by ties of history and culture. For centuries
our peoples have been living together. And I'm happy that today our
countries are independent states, which are successfully cooperating
in all spheres of life, supporting each other.'
`Unfortunately, we've not yet achieved any result in finding a
solution to the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, Azerbaijan's most painful
problem. For long years Azerbaijan`s some twenty 20% of lands are
under Armenia`s occupation. Over one million Azerbaijanis have been
expelled from their homelands as a result of an ethnic cleansing
policy. It is a big injustice. All international organizations, the
world`s leading organizations have been supporting Azerbaijan`s just
cause. Four resolutions of the UN Security Council still remain
unfulfilled. These resolutions demand an unconditional withdrawal of
the Armenian armed forces from Azerbaijan`s lands. Azerbaijan`s
territorial integrity must be restored. Similar resolutions were
adopted by other international organizations as well, including the
Organization of the Islamic Conference, the European Parliament, the
Council of Europe, demanding international law-based settlement of the
problem.'
`The Nagorno-Karabakh is an ancient Azerbaijani land. For centuries
Azerbaijanis have been living and working there. Azerbaijan`s
territorial integrity is recognized by the international community.
Azerbaijan`s territorial integrity must be restored, and we want to
achieve this by peaceful means. Azerbaijan is a multinational country.
Representatives of different nations and religions are peacefully
co-existing in our country. There has never been a religious or
national conflict in Azerbaijan. The rights of all nations living in
our country are protected. And, of course, the Armenians have also
been living in the territory of Azerbaijan. They live here today, and
their rights are also protected.'
`The international practice and international law support our
position. The Armenia-Azerbaijan conflict must be solved on the basis
of Azerbaijan`s territorial integrity, with the Armenian minority
receiving a high status of self-governance and autonomy within
Azerbaijan. This is what the international law requires.'
`The Turkish world is a very big world. Separation of the Zangazur
region, an ancient and integral part of the Turkish world, which was
then given to Armenia, broke the geographical link within the Turkish
world.'
`But the geographical coordinates are not the only factor linking us.
We are bound by our relations, our brotherhood, our common past and
present. For twenty years our countries have been living as
independent states. Today, countries like Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan,
Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan make Turkey stronger, just
like, Turkey, in its turn, makes us stronger. Our strength is in our
unity.'
`I would like to emphasize the development of the relations between
Azerbaijan and Turkey, which signed a very important document
yesterday. We signed a Joint Declaration `On establishment of the
Council for high level strategic cooperation between the Republic of
Azerbaijan and the Republic of Turkey'. I believe the Council will be
a success. We must increase efforts to boost our relations in all
fields. Additional measures must be taken to encourage and expand our
mutual trade and economic cooperation. We must explore opportunities
of making mutual investment.'
`My dear brother Mr. Gul has today mentioned that we are working
together on energy issues. The Turkey-Azerbaijan relations are very
important in this regard. The Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan and
Baku-Tbilisi-Erzurum oil and gas pipelines have been making a
tremendous contribution to the region`s energy map, making it richer.'
`Opening of these corridors allowed us to deliver the natural
resources of the Caspian to the world markets. Oil and oil products
from Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan are being exported to the world
markets, including Turkey, through the territory of Azerbaijan.'
`We are also working on a railway project. The Baku-Tbilisi-Kars
railway will not only link Turkey with Azerbaijan, but also connect
Turkey with Central Asia and Europe with Central Asia. This railroad
is very attractive from the economic point of view, and it will also
link friendly countries. And I believe the number of such projects
will increase in the future.'
`I would like to once again emphasize the importance of today`s
summit. I`m very happy that we have revived a tradition, which once
was broken. The summit was held last year, we hold it this year, and,
I believe, we will hold it next year as well.'
X X X
Other heads of state also made remarks, which were followed by the
signing of a final document. They decided to hold the next summits in
Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan in 2011 and 2012 respectively. The heads of
state appointed the chief of the Secretariat of the Turkish-speaking
countries` Cooperation Council.
/AzerTAc/
URL: http://www.today.az/news/politics/73613.html
From: A. Papazian