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AzerNews, Azerbaijan
July 5 2013
Azerbaijani-British relations, Nagorno Karabakh conflict mulled at
conference in London
5 July 2013, 15:49 (GMT+05:00)
By Aynur Jafarova
Azerbaijan - British relations as well as Nagorno Karabakh conflict
was mulled at a conference on "Shaping the Policy Agenda:
British-Azerbaijani relations in the context of Europe" of the Center
for Strategic Studies (CSS) under the President of Azerbaijan which
was held in British capital London on July 4.
Azerbaijani joined the conference organized by the CSS jointly with
the Royal United Services Institute for Defense and Security Studies
with a delegation which included head of the foreign relations
department Novruz Mammadov, head of the Presidential Administration's
Political Analysis and Information Provision Department Elnur Aslanov,
Director of CSS Farhad Mammadov, Deputy Director of the CSS Gulshan
Pashayeva and leading researcher of Foreign Policy Analysis Department
Zaur Shiriyev.
Addressing the event Novruz Mammadov spoke about Azerbaijan's
achievements in political, economic, cultural, social and other fields
during its independence years and said that in the course of last
decade, GDP growth has tripled in Azerbaijan, the poverty ratio
dropped from 49 percent to 6 percent, and unemployment reduced to 5.2
percent.
The Azerbaijani economy already holds the 46th place in Global
Competitiveness Index. Today's financial performance of Azerbaijan can
be a good example for any country. Strategic currency reserves make 70
percent of GDP while the volume of external public debt constitutes 7
percent of GDP, he said.
According to Mammadov, currently, the Azerbaijani economy ensures 75
percent of the South Caucasus economy.
He also said that Azerbaijan is a secular, prosperous and hydrocarbons
rich country with the high intellectual potential.
Azerbaijan is a secular Islamic country situated at the crossroads of
East and West, North and South, Islam, Christianity and Judaism.
Global ongoing processes already demonstrate that Azerbaijan as a
country will further increase its importance in the decades to come,
Mammadov said.
Touching on the Azerbaijan-Great Britain relations Mammadov said that
the bilateral ties between the two countries are at the high level.
The political relations between Azerbaijan and the Great Britain have
been at the apex since first days of Azerbaijan's independence.
"It is obvious that one of the largest contracts signed in the end of
the last century was the Contract of the Century concluded between
Azerbaijan and British Petroleum. As it goes at the bilateral level,
our political collaboration is also satisfactory in the multilateral
format. In this context, I would like to note in particular the
cooperation of Azerbaijan which serves currently as a non-permanent
member of UN Security Council with UN member-countries, and especially
with the United Kingdom in ensuring international security," he said.
Mammadov also said that dozens of British companies participate as
investors and contractors in various spheres of Azerbaijani economy
such as construction, energy, trade, services and other fields.
"The brightest example of this co-operation is the BP - SOCAR
collaboration in the energy field," he said.
Furthermore, Mammadov spoke about the reforms implemented in
Azerbaijan and said that Azerbaijan is loyal to democratic principles.
"Azerbaijan is working on building the civil society and ensuring the
democratic development," he said.
"More than 50 political parties have the opportunity to participate in
the political life of the country through representation in the
legislative and local municipal bodies," Mammadov said. "Azerbaijan
has managed to build an ideal and tolerant society which can be
exemplary for all world countries and even for Europe."
Meanwhile, Mammadov said that reports of some organizations and
governmental institutions allege the violation of democracy and human
rights in Azerbaijan. However, nothing is said about the violation of
all rights of the refugees and IDPs.
"We take it normal to be criticized. Only a fair criticism can serve
the co-operation and allow overcoming various threats and challenges.
Nevertheless, we think that the criticism should not be biased and
unfair," he said.
"Human rights and democracy are kept simply in the context of
authorities and opposition. However, what about the rights of refugees
and IDPs or do they not deserve the protection?"
"The position voted in the European Parliament with the participation
of 15-20 members is presented as the resolution of the Parliament with
total number of 754 members," Mammadov said. "As a result, the right
of absolute majority of members of the European Parliament is
misused."
"This contradicts the principles of democracy. The statistics show
that the number of critical reports about Azerbaijan, which appeared
in the British press within 3 months in relation to the criminal
actions of two young Azerbaijanis that present themselves as bloggers,
is more than the general number of articles written about the Karabakh
problem in last 20 years," Mammadov said.
Mammadov also went on to say that choosing the pathway of close
cooperation and integration with Europe since first years of
independence Azerbaijan has managed to implement large projects of
strategic importance and become the political, economic, cultural,
energy and transportation bridge between East and West by addressing
all challenges and facing firmly strong pressure.
"Taking this into account, it is hard to accept the attitude of West
to Azerbaijan as a fair, well thought and substantiated position from
political, economic, cultural, religious, geopolitical and other
points of view," he said.
The cooperation of Azerbaijan with the European Union and NATO should
be noted in particular, Mammadov said.
According to him, it has contributed to peacekeeping operations in
Kosovo and Iraq within international coalition.
Azerbaijan participates in the processes in Afghanistan both by its
military contingent and other means through providing training and
assistance in various projects, he said.
"Today, more than one third of goods delivered to Afghanistan passes
through Azerbaijan," Mammadov said.
"Global ongoing processes already demonstrate that Azerbaijan as a
country will further increase its importance in the decades to come,"
Mammadov said.
Touching on the Nagorno Karabakh conflict Novruz Mammadov said that
the continuation of processes in such a way fades hopes for peaceful
resolution of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict reposed on the peaceful
solution of the conflict.
Mammadov believes that due to the fact that the OSCE Minsk Group
co-chairing countries and their representatives deal directly with the
conflict resolution, the discussion of this issue in other frameworks
is impossible.
"Unfortunately, representatives of co-chairing countries dealing with
the conflict settlement have not obtained any progress so far,"
Mammadov said. "Additionally, the co-chairs' statements do not refer
to international law and the four UN Security Council resolutions on
the conflict. This raises a concern with the course of discussions."
He went on to say that twenty percent of the Azerbaijani territory -
Nagorno Karabakh and seven surrounding regions - is under occupation
for more than 20 years.
"The ethnic cleansing policy was conducted in the territories of
Azerbaijan occupied by Armenia. Over one million of people have become
refugees and IDPs. Steps that were taken in over 20 years to solve the
conflict do not yield any result," Mammadov said.
According to Mammadov, despite the four resolutions of the UN Security
Council on the conflict settlement and the fair position taken by
other international organizations and institutions, the situation has
not changed while there is still a threat of war.
Addressing the conference Farhad Mammadov said that Nagorno-Karabakh
conflict remains the most serious and long-standing conflict in the
post-Soviet area.
"Azerbaijan perceives this conflict as threat to its territorial
integrity and sovereign independence," Mammadov added.
According to Mammadov, Azerbaijan's occupied territories have become a
hub of drug trafficking, illegal activities and even terrorist
activities. The occupied territories of Azerbaijan are used for
training of terrorists.
He went on to say that the illegal trade of arms with small and large
calibers causes problems in the conflict resolution. The beneficiaries
of the arms deals don't want to lose this source of income as well as
in the case with other illegal activities.
According to CSS director, the Military Doctrine of Azerbaijan adopted
in 2010 emphasizes that the occupation of the Nagorno-Karabakh and
regions to it by Armenia, which remain temporarily out of the control
of Azerbaijan's government bodies, damages not only national security,
but also has a serious negative impact on regional security.
"Armenia has violated international agreements and it may lead to
terrible consequences," Mammadov emphasized.
Azerbaijan's military budget has increased more than $3.7 billion this
year, which exceeds Armenia's overall state budget, he noted.
Mammadov also said that the occupation of the Azerbaijani territories
by Armenia is a serious threat for the environmental security of
Caucasus as well.
Armenia occupied over 20 percent of Azerbaijan's internationally
recognized territory, including Nagorno-Karabakh and seven adjacent
regions, after laying territorial claims against its South Caucasus
neighbor that had caused a lengthy war in the early 1990s. The UN
Security Council has adopted four resolutions on Armenia's withdrawal
from the Azerbaijani territory, but they have not been enforced to
this day.
http://www.azernews.az/azerbaijan/56383.html
From: Baghdasarian
July 5 2013
Azerbaijani-British relations, Nagorno Karabakh conflict mulled at
conference in London
5 July 2013, 15:49 (GMT+05:00)
By Aynur Jafarova
Azerbaijan - British relations as well as Nagorno Karabakh conflict
was mulled at a conference on "Shaping the Policy Agenda:
British-Azerbaijani relations in the context of Europe" of the Center
for Strategic Studies (CSS) under the President of Azerbaijan which
was held in British capital London on July 4.
Azerbaijani joined the conference organized by the CSS jointly with
the Royal United Services Institute for Defense and Security Studies
with a delegation which included head of the foreign relations
department Novruz Mammadov, head of the Presidential Administration's
Political Analysis and Information Provision Department Elnur Aslanov,
Director of CSS Farhad Mammadov, Deputy Director of the CSS Gulshan
Pashayeva and leading researcher of Foreign Policy Analysis Department
Zaur Shiriyev.
Addressing the event Novruz Mammadov spoke about Azerbaijan's
achievements in political, economic, cultural, social and other fields
during its independence years and said that in the course of last
decade, GDP growth has tripled in Azerbaijan, the poverty ratio
dropped from 49 percent to 6 percent, and unemployment reduced to 5.2
percent.
The Azerbaijani economy already holds the 46th place in Global
Competitiveness Index. Today's financial performance of Azerbaijan can
be a good example for any country. Strategic currency reserves make 70
percent of GDP while the volume of external public debt constitutes 7
percent of GDP, he said.
According to Mammadov, currently, the Azerbaijani economy ensures 75
percent of the South Caucasus economy.
He also said that Azerbaijan is a secular, prosperous and hydrocarbons
rich country with the high intellectual potential.
Azerbaijan is a secular Islamic country situated at the crossroads of
East and West, North and South, Islam, Christianity and Judaism.
Global ongoing processes already demonstrate that Azerbaijan as a
country will further increase its importance in the decades to come,
Mammadov said.
Touching on the Azerbaijan-Great Britain relations Mammadov said that
the bilateral ties between the two countries are at the high level.
The political relations between Azerbaijan and the Great Britain have
been at the apex since first days of Azerbaijan's independence.
"It is obvious that one of the largest contracts signed in the end of
the last century was the Contract of the Century concluded between
Azerbaijan and British Petroleum. As it goes at the bilateral level,
our political collaboration is also satisfactory in the multilateral
format. In this context, I would like to note in particular the
cooperation of Azerbaijan which serves currently as a non-permanent
member of UN Security Council with UN member-countries, and especially
with the United Kingdom in ensuring international security," he said.
Mammadov also said that dozens of British companies participate as
investors and contractors in various spheres of Azerbaijani economy
such as construction, energy, trade, services and other fields.
"The brightest example of this co-operation is the BP - SOCAR
collaboration in the energy field," he said.
Furthermore, Mammadov spoke about the reforms implemented in
Azerbaijan and said that Azerbaijan is loyal to democratic principles.
"Azerbaijan is working on building the civil society and ensuring the
democratic development," he said.
"More than 50 political parties have the opportunity to participate in
the political life of the country through representation in the
legislative and local municipal bodies," Mammadov said. "Azerbaijan
has managed to build an ideal and tolerant society which can be
exemplary for all world countries and even for Europe."
Meanwhile, Mammadov said that reports of some organizations and
governmental institutions allege the violation of democracy and human
rights in Azerbaijan. However, nothing is said about the violation of
all rights of the refugees and IDPs.
"We take it normal to be criticized. Only a fair criticism can serve
the co-operation and allow overcoming various threats and challenges.
Nevertheless, we think that the criticism should not be biased and
unfair," he said.
"Human rights and democracy are kept simply in the context of
authorities and opposition. However, what about the rights of refugees
and IDPs or do they not deserve the protection?"
"The position voted in the European Parliament with the participation
of 15-20 members is presented as the resolution of the Parliament with
total number of 754 members," Mammadov said. "As a result, the right
of absolute majority of members of the European Parliament is
misused."
"This contradicts the principles of democracy. The statistics show
that the number of critical reports about Azerbaijan, which appeared
in the British press within 3 months in relation to the criminal
actions of two young Azerbaijanis that present themselves as bloggers,
is more than the general number of articles written about the Karabakh
problem in last 20 years," Mammadov said.
Mammadov also went on to say that choosing the pathway of close
cooperation and integration with Europe since first years of
independence Azerbaijan has managed to implement large projects of
strategic importance and become the political, economic, cultural,
energy and transportation bridge between East and West by addressing
all challenges and facing firmly strong pressure.
"Taking this into account, it is hard to accept the attitude of West
to Azerbaijan as a fair, well thought and substantiated position from
political, economic, cultural, religious, geopolitical and other
points of view," he said.
The cooperation of Azerbaijan with the European Union and NATO should
be noted in particular, Mammadov said.
According to him, it has contributed to peacekeeping operations in
Kosovo and Iraq within international coalition.
Azerbaijan participates in the processes in Afghanistan both by its
military contingent and other means through providing training and
assistance in various projects, he said.
"Today, more than one third of goods delivered to Afghanistan passes
through Azerbaijan," Mammadov said.
"Global ongoing processes already demonstrate that Azerbaijan as a
country will further increase its importance in the decades to come,"
Mammadov said.
Touching on the Nagorno Karabakh conflict Novruz Mammadov said that
the continuation of processes in such a way fades hopes for peaceful
resolution of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict reposed on the peaceful
solution of the conflict.
Mammadov believes that due to the fact that the OSCE Minsk Group
co-chairing countries and their representatives deal directly with the
conflict resolution, the discussion of this issue in other frameworks
is impossible.
"Unfortunately, representatives of co-chairing countries dealing with
the conflict settlement have not obtained any progress so far,"
Mammadov said. "Additionally, the co-chairs' statements do not refer
to international law and the four UN Security Council resolutions on
the conflict. This raises a concern with the course of discussions."
He went on to say that twenty percent of the Azerbaijani territory -
Nagorno Karabakh and seven surrounding regions - is under occupation
for more than 20 years.
"The ethnic cleansing policy was conducted in the territories of
Azerbaijan occupied by Armenia. Over one million of people have become
refugees and IDPs. Steps that were taken in over 20 years to solve the
conflict do not yield any result," Mammadov said.
According to Mammadov, despite the four resolutions of the UN Security
Council on the conflict settlement and the fair position taken by
other international organizations and institutions, the situation has
not changed while there is still a threat of war.
Addressing the conference Farhad Mammadov said that Nagorno-Karabakh
conflict remains the most serious and long-standing conflict in the
post-Soviet area.
"Azerbaijan perceives this conflict as threat to its territorial
integrity and sovereign independence," Mammadov added.
According to Mammadov, Azerbaijan's occupied territories have become a
hub of drug trafficking, illegal activities and even terrorist
activities. The occupied territories of Azerbaijan are used for
training of terrorists.
He went on to say that the illegal trade of arms with small and large
calibers causes problems in the conflict resolution. The beneficiaries
of the arms deals don't want to lose this source of income as well as
in the case with other illegal activities.
According to CSS director, the Military Doctrine of Azerbaijan adopted
in 2010 emphasizes that the occupation of the Nagorno-Karabakh and
regions to it by Armenia, which remain temporarily out of the control
of Azerbaijan's government bodies, damages not only national security,
but also has a serious negative impact on regional security.
"Armenia has violated international agreements and it may lead to
terrible consequences," Mammadov emphasized.
Azerbaijan's military budget has increased more than $3.7 billion this
year, which exceeds Armenia's overall state budget, he noted.
Mammadov also said that the occupation of the Azerbaijani territories
by Armenia is a serious threat for the environmental security of
Caucasus as well.
Armenia occupied over 20 percent of Azerbaijan's internationally
recognized territory, including Nagorno-Karabakh and seven adjacent
regions, after laying territorial claims against its South Caucasus
neighbor that had caused a lengthy war in the early 1990s. The UN
Security Council has adopted four resolutions on Armenia's withdrawal
from the Azerbaijani territory, but they have not been enforced to
this day.
http://www.azernews.az/azerbaijan/56383.html
From: Baghdasarian