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ARMENIA-AZERBAIJAN REGION NEEDS A HIGH-LEVEL US ENVOY
The Hill, DC
April 24 2013
By Elin Suleymanov, Ambassador of Azerbaijan - 04/24/13 03:24 PM ET
WASHINGTON -- This week, Elmar Mammadyarov became the first Azerbaijani
Foreign Minister to visit Israel and Palestine. This trip, described
as "historic" by the Israeli President Shimon Peres, underscored our
many shared experiences and concern. My nation also suffered from
war just as we were restoring our independence in 1991.
Close to a million Azerbaijani civilians lost their homes and became
refugees and internally displaced persons (IDPs) during the war with
Armenia, centered on the Nagorno-Karabakh region in Azerbaijan.
We have spared no effort to integrate our refugees and IDPs more
broadly into Azerbaijani society, but they long to return home. We
have built new homes for them, and we provide extensive social
services. These cannot, however, replace the traditional lifestyles
and communities that were lost and that they yearn to return to.
Although our lands have been under Armenian occupation for 20 years,
we still put our trust in negotiations and international institutions
to help bring peace to the region and enable our displaced people to
return to their homes. As a member of the United Nations Security
Council, Azerbaijan actively contributes to addressing global
challenges; in turn, we ask the international community to be more
proactive in resolving the Armenia-Azerbaijan conflict.
During his visit, Minister Mammadyarov shared with the Israeli and
Palestinian leaders our hope to see them living in peace and prosperity
and enjoying the benefits of peace that they both deserve.
This is our aspiration for the South Caucasus as well.
Azerbaijan is a good friend to both the Israelis and the Palestinians.
Our society has a long tradition of respect for the Jewish people,
and relations between Azerbaijan and Israel are growing stronger. When
Azerbaijan declared our independence from the former Soviet Union
in October, 1991, Israel recognized our country two months later -
one of the first countries to do so. In April, 1992 - 21 years ago -
our countries formally established diplomatic ties.
Of course, as a nation with proud a Muslim heritage and an active
member of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), we want to
see the Palestinian people fully realize their potential and live
prosperously.
As the Middle East has shown, the more time that passes with the
conflicts unresolved, the more entrenched the sides become. But
while Middle East peace is always a front-burner issue, the
Armenian-Azerbaijani conflict needs more aggressive international
engagement. We urge the United States, for instance, to appoint a
high-level, authoritative envoy as a mediator.
We hope to see peace in both the Middle East and in our own region.
Azerbaijan's rapid economic development and successful regional
projects with Georgia and Turkey demonstrate the potential dividends of
peace and the opportunities missed as a result of continuing hostility.
In order to successfully resolve the Armenia-Azerbaijan conflict,
the international community needs to move with more urgency. We do
not want the major threat this conflict poses to become a chronic
challenge and tinderbox for our region.
My generation grew up together with Armenian neighbors and remembers
the warm human relations. But today, younger generations in Azerbaijan
and Armenia do not share these human ties and do not know their
neighbors. With a positive vision for our region's future, we can
change that.
Suleymanov is the Ambassador of Azerbaijan in Washington, D.C.
http://thehill.com/blogs/congress-blog/foreign-policy/295929-armenia-azerbaijan-region-needs-a-high-level-us-envoy
The Hill, DC
April 24 2013
By Elin Suleymanov, Ambassador of Azerbaijan - 04/24/13 03:24 PM ET
WASHINGTON -- This week, Elmar Mammadyarov became the first Azerbaijani
Foreign Minister to visit Israel and Palestine. This trip, described
as "historic" by the Israeli President Shimon Peres, underscored our
many shared experiences and concern. My nation also suffered from
war just as we were restoring our independence in 1991.
Close to a million Azerbaijani civilians lost their homes and became
refugees and internally displaced persons (IDPs) during the war with
Armenia, centered on the Nagorno-Karabakh region in Azerbaijan.
We have spared no effort to integrate our refugees and IDPs more
broadly into Azerbaijani society, but they long to return home. We
have built new homes for them, and we provide extensive social
services. These cannot, however, replace the traditional lifestyles
and communities that were lost and that they yearn to return to.
Although our lands have been under Armenian occupation for 20 years,
we still put our trust in negotiations and international institutions
to help bring peace to the region and enable our displaced people to
return to their homes. As a member of the United Nations Security
Council, Azerbaijan actively contributes to addressing global
challenges; in turn, we ask the international community to be more
proactive in resolving the Armenia-Azerbaijan conflict.
During his visit, Minister Mammadyarov shared with the Israeli and
Palestinian leaders our hope to see them living in peace and prosperity
and enjoying the benefits of peace that they both deserve.
This is our aspiration for the South Caucasus as well.
Azerbaijan is a good friend to both the Israelis and the Palestinians.
Our society has a long tradition of respect for the Jewish people,
and relations between Azerbaijan and Israel are growing stronger. When
Azerbaijan declared our independence from the former Soviet Union
in October, 1991, Israel recognized our country two months later -
one of the first countries to do so. In April, 1992 - 21 years ago -
our countries formally established diplomatic ties.
Of course, as a nation with proud a Muslim heritage and an active
member of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), we want to
see the Palestinian people fully realize their potential and live
prosperously.
As the Middle East has shown, the more time that passes with the
conflicts unresolved, the more entrenched the sides become. But
while Middle East peace is always a front-burner issue, the
Armenian-Azerbaijani conflict needs more aggressive international
engagement. We urge the United States, for instance, to appoint a
high-level, authoritative envoy as a mediator.
We hope to see peace in both the Middle East and in our own region.
Azerbaijan's rapid economic development and successful regional
projects with Georgia and Turkey demonstrate the potential dividends of
peace and the opportunities missed as a result of continuing hostility.
In order to successfully resolve the Armenia-Azerbaijan conflict,
the international community needs to move with more urgency. We do
not want the major threat this conflict poses to become a chronic
challenge and tinderbox for our region.
My generation grew up together with Armenian neighbors and remembers
the warm human relations. But today, younger generations in Azerbaijan
and Armenia do not share these human ties and do not know their
neighbors. With a positive vision for our region's future, we can
change that.
Suleymanov is the Ambassador of Azerbaijan in Washington, D.C.
http://thehill.com/blogs/congress-blog/foreign-policy/295929-armenia-azerbaijan-region-needs-a-high-level-us-envoy