Speaking at the Ministerial Meeting of the Non-Aligned Operations (NAM) Coordination Bureau, President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev said, “If Armenia wants peace in the region, it should completely withdraw its armed forces from Karabakh.”
The Non-Aligned Operation (NAM) Coordination Bureau Ministerial Meeting started in Baku. Under the chairmanship of Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev, the meeting titled “The Non-Aligned Movement: Unity and Invincibility in the Face of Emerging Challenges” was attended by Foreign Ministers, senior officials and representatives of 10 international organizations from 120 member states and 18 observer countries. The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Hakan Fidan, represented Turkey at the meeting.
“WE SHOULD RISE OUR VOICE AGAINST CASES OF INTERVENTION IN COUNTRIES’ INTERVENTION”
Stating that the Non-Aligned Movement, as the second largest institution after the UN, must find its place in the reshaped world order, President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev said, “We must stand firmly around the Bandung Principles, and raise our voice against violations of sovereignty and territorial integrity, and interference in the internal affairs of countries.”
“FRANCE IS ONE OF THE COUNTRIES THAT STILL CONTINUES COLONIALISM”
Pointing out that some countries continue colonialism, Aliyev said, “One of the countries that still maintains colonialism is France. The lands that France controls outside of Europe are disgusting remnants of the French colonial empire. France needs to respect the rights of the people of New Caledonia, including the Comoros’ sovereignty over the Island of Mayotte and the peoples living in other overseas communities and territories. “Azerbaijan is very concerned about the growth of neo-colonial tendencies,” he said.
“WE SHOULD APPLY FOR THE COLONIAL PAST AND GENOCIDE ACTIONS”
Stating that approximately 1.5 million Algerians were massacred during France’s genocidal rule, Aliyev said, “The skulls of Algerian freedom fighters are still kept as spoils of war in a Paris museum. This is shameless and disgusting behavior. We demand the French President Emmanuel Macron to deliver the bodies of those heroes to Algeria. “France needs to apologize for its colonial past, bloody crimes and acts of genocide in Africa, Southeast Asia and other Non-Aligned Movement member countries,” he said.
“THEY SUPPORT THE SEPARATING ARMENIAN GROUPS IN KARABAKH”
Aliyev said that although France introduces itself as a defender of human rights and international law, it still continues to interfere in the internal affairs of other countries. is trying to implement the hate practice in the South Caucasus region as well. “The recent withdrawal of French troops from Mali and Burkina Faso shows once again that the brutal colonial policy in Africa is doomed to failure,” he said.
“ANOTHER SIGNAL OF SPIRITUALITY AND ISLAMOPHOBIA”
Speaking about the teenager killed by the police in France, Aliyev said, “The recent killing of a 17-year-old Algerian teenager by the French police is another sign of racism and Islamophobia in the country. In this context, we support the UN statement condemning the police shooting and calling on France to seriously address the deep problems of racism and discrimination in law enforcement agencies.
“FRANCE IS TRYING TO INDICATE ITSELF AS THE DEFENDANT OF THE ARMENIAN MINORITY IN AZERBAIJAN”
Stating that even the Corsican language is banned in France, Aliyev said, “He does not accept the concept of ethnic minority, but at the same time tries to present himself as the defender of the Armenian minority in Azerbaijan. This is nothing but hypocrisy and double standards. “The French authorities need to deal with such disturbing trends in their own country rather than lecturing others.”
“WE ARE CONCERNED AT ATTEMPTS TO IDENTIFY ISLAM WITH VIOLENCE AND TERROR”
Noting that promoting intercultural dialogue should be at the top of their agenda, Aliyev said, “We are concerned about widespread cases of Islamophobia and xenophobia and attempts to identify Islam with violence and terrorism. Burning and humiliating the Holy Quran and legitimizing it under the name of freedom of expression in Denmark, the Netherlands and Sweden is completely irresponsible, unacceptable and should be condemned.
“IF ARMENIA WANTS PEACE IN THE REGION, IT SHOULD FULLY WITHDRAW ITS ARMED FORCES FROM KARABAKH”
Emphasizing that shortly after the end of the conflict, Azerbaijan presented Armenia with five main principles for signing a peace agreement based on mutual recognition of each other’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, President Aliyev said: Despite this, there are still remnants of Armenian armed forces in the territory of Azerbaijan, where Russian peacekeepers are temporarily stationed. If Armenia is really interested in the long-awaited peace in the region, it should completely withdraw its armed forces from Azerbaijan’s Karabakh region. “The Armenian military elements in the region should be disarmed and demobilized,” he said.
“ARMENIAN ALSO PREVENTS THE OPENING OF THE ZENGEZUR CORRIDOR”
Expressing his deep gratitude to the Non-Aligned Movement countries for their principled stance in supporting Azerbaijan’s fair position during and after the occupation, Aliyev said, “Armenia is also preventing the opening of the Zangezur corridor. The Zangezur Corridor is another commitment that Armenia has undertaken with the capitulation document signed on November 10, 2020, and therefore must be fulfilled.”
The meeting, which will continue until 6 July, will discuss a number of additional measures on the movement’s agenda and the adoption of Final Documents, including the Baku Declaration.
(UAV)