Azerbaijan has been represented as a victorious country on all international platforms, including the UN, for the past 5 years. The great victory we achieved in the 44-day Patriotic War has further enhanced our country's prestige. The numerous high-level meetings held during President Ilham Aliyev's visit to New York were clear proof of this.
These views were expressed by MP Konul Nurullayeva in a statement to Redaksiya.
According to her, Azerbaijan is met with great interest in the international arena due to its economic potential, global cooperation initiatives, and its political agenda. The head of state's meetings with major investment companies, leaders of various countries – Finland, Greece, Kenya, Portugal, Bulgaria – and the Secretary-General of the Council of Europe and the UN, were indicators of the interest in Azerbaijan. In all meetings, admiration for the Azerbaijani leader was openly expressed. US President Donald Trump, at an official reception related to the 80th session of the UN General Assembly, told the Victorious Supreme Commander-in-Chief, "I am truly proud of you."
This was an indicator of respect for the Azerbaijani leader. During his speech at the UN General Assembly, President Ilham Aliyev stated that our country has entered a new era. Mr. Ilham Aliyev has addressed the general debates of the UN General Assembly a total of four times. This speech was different from the others and was indeed a historic speech. Primarily because the great Victory achieved by Azerbaijan created new realities, and official Baku's approach to all global-regional processes is shaped within the context of these realities. During his address from the UN rostrum, the head of state emphasized that Azerbaijan suffered for 30 years from both occupation and double standards. He specifically drew attention to the fact that the UN Security Council resolutions adopted against Armenia's occupation policy lacked an implementation mechanism, and that Azerbaijan implemented these resolutions through its own strength and will. He assessed this as proof that international law ultimately prevails.
President Ilham Aliyev declared that as the leader of a country that both won the war and achieved peace, Azerbaijan is ready to share its positive experience. "Our views are clear. These are peace and development based on international law, non-interference in the internal affairs of states, mutual respect, and cooperation," he said.
Regarding the UN's position on Azerbaijan's peace initiative, the organization's Secretary-General Antonio Guterres welcomed the framework agreement signed in the presence of the US President as an important step towards normalizing relations between Baku and Yerevan. In a meeting with President Ilham Aliyev, the Secretary-General once again conveyed his congratulations to the head of our state on the advancement of the peace agenda between Armenia and Azerbaijan and the historic results achieved. This means that Azerbaijan's peace agenda is also met with great approval at the UN.
One of the important issues touched upon by our head of state was the matter of 3890 Azerbaijani citizens who went missing during the First Karabakh War. In fact, the creation of a mandate for the UN Special Rapporteur on missing persons could contribute to increasing global attention to this sensitive issue and resolving it more effectively. For this reason, while recalling the obstacle posed by the mine problem to the Great Return, the President of Azerbaijan also emphasized that the tragic fate of nearly four thousand Azerbaijanis who went missing during Armenia's aggression and occupation since the early 1990s requires special attention and measures.