Yesterday at 22:17
Addressing the UN General Assembly in New York, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev said his country restored its territorial integrity only after decades of unfulfilled UN Security Council resolutions.
“For many years, I spoke from this rostrum about the tragedies of aggression, occupation and injustice experienced by Azerbaijan. Today I speak about our long path to victory and peace, about how we ended the occupation through a war of liberation and achieved peace by political means,” Aliyev stated.
He recalled that the UN Security Council had adopted four resolutions demanding the immediate and unconditional withdrawal of Armenian armed forces from the occupied territories, yet none was implemented.
“In 2020, after nearly 30 years of fruitless negotiations, Azerbaijan was forced to exercise its legitimate right of self-defense under Article 51 of the UN Charter. During the 44-day Patriotic War our armed forces liberated the occupied lands and restored Azerbaijan’s territory in line with international law and the relevant UN resolutions,” he said.
Aliyev also described the subsequent peace negotiations that led to the signing of a joint document at the White House this August, in the presence of U.S. President Donald Trump. He highlighted efforts to rebuild liberated areas, clear mines, resettle displaced people, and search for those missing from the conflict.
Article 51 of the UN Charter guarantees the inherent right of individual or collective self-defense in case of an armed attack on a UN member state.
Aliyev and Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan have also announced plans to jointly nominate President Trump for the Nobel Peace Prize.
