Chair of the Milli Majlis Sahiba Gafarova received on 24 June the UN Resident Co-ordinator in Azerbaijan Ghulam Isaczai whose diplomatic tenure in our country is expiring.

Madame Speaker welcomed the guest cordially and then pinpointed the vast importance that Azerbaijan attaches to co-operating with all the international organisations including the UN. Sahiba Gafarova proceeded to refer to the close bonds our country had established with a number of UN bodies and successful co-operation maintained with them as well as several important UN events hosted in the Azerbaijani capital of Baku and last year’s special session of the UN General Assembly bringing together heads of states and governments at the instance of President Ilham Aliyev of Azerbaijan.

The UN Office in Azerbaijan is in active co-operation with the local state departments through various projects, Speaker Sahiba Gafarova then mentioned before stressing the steps taken to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals.

Mr Ghulam Isaczai has worked in our country in a period of tremendous importance and historical moments to it because it was during it that Azerbaijan, in the 44-day Patriotic War of 2020, freed its lands from the occupation by Armenia and made its national territory whole again, said the Chair of the Milli Majlis. At that, Azerbaijan had also carried into life the four resolutions of the UN Security Council concerned with the conflict – there and then. As for now, Mrs Gafarova remarked, we have set in motion a new age – that of restoration and rebuilding.

Mr Isaczai was made aware of the provocations by Armenia that followed the signing of the Trilateral Statement. Sahiba Gafarova mentioned many Azerbaijani military personnel and civilians having tripped, after the war’s end, the mines planted by Armenia in the liberated areas. The Azerbaijani side reiterated its call for release of the minefield maps but Armenia persists in not divulging them; in this manner, Armenia breaches the international humanitarian laws and commits further war crimes. Three Azerbaijanis got on a mine and died in the explosion on 4 June whilst going about their professional duties. Madame Chair specified as she recalled that unfortunate occurrence that three of those who died in the mine blast were journalists. Sahiba Gafarova also mentioned the provocations of Armenia in the business of border delimitation. Armenia continues sending groups of terrorists to our de-occupied provinces in egregious disregard for the provisions of the Trilateral Statement of 10 November 2020 and then tries to paint the terrorists apprehended after the statement’s signing date as ‘prisoners of war’.

The outbound UN Resident Co-ordinator in Azerbaijan thanked for the warm reception and went further to voice his appreciation of the support and facilities he had enjoyed throughout his service term in our country. Mr Isaczai noted that these past years had seen the fruitful collaboration between the UN and various departments of Azerbaijan as well as the events arranged in the format of the corresponding UN programmes.

The Chair of the Milli Majlis underscored Ghulam Isaczai’s successful work done in Azerbaijan and his contribution to the fostering of the UN-Azerbaijani co-operation. She also wished him achievements in his future work.

The Press and Public Relations
Department The Milli Majlis