On September 27, representative of Azerbaijan exercised the Right of Reply on the last day of the general debates at the 61st session of the United Nations General Assembly to make some things clear about the statements made by Armenia’s Foreign Minister Vardan Oskanian at the General Assembly.

Representative of Azerbaijan stated that Azerbaijan regrets about the fact that Armenia’s Foreign Minister uses the UN General Assembly rostrum to speak aggressively about things that could harm the conflict resolution process.

According to Azerbaijani diplomat, Azerbaijani side had to reply to his rhetoric full of accusations to reveal that Armenian side’s extremely aggressive statements do not agree with respective resolutions and decisions of the UN Security Council, Council of Europe, Organization of the Islamic Conference, OSCE and other international organizations.

On Armenian Minister’s false accusations of destruction of Armenian monuments in the Azerbaijani lands, Azerbaijani representative said the country suggested sending Council of Europe’s fact-finding mission to the region but received no official answer on this matter from the Armenian Government.

Vardan Oskanian said in his address that Armenian community of Nagorno-Karabakh allegedly exercised its right to self-determination to break away from Azerbaijan. Azerbaijani representative regarded this statement as Armenia’s attempt to hide the ethnic cleansing committed in the occupied territories of Azerbaijan by abusing international legal principles.

The Diplomat reminded UN member countries of the fact that “Declaration on the Granting of Independence to Colonial Countries and Peoples” of December 14, 1960 and Declaration on Principles of International Law Concerning Friendly Relations And Cooperation Among States of 1970. Declaration and Programme of Action adopted by World Conference on Human Rights clearly indicate that self-determination may not be construed as authorizing or encouraging any action which would dismember or impair the territorial integrity of sovereign and independent states.

In accordance with these documents, self-determination is the right of the whole population living in the certain area. They can exercise this right only in a peaceful way by strengthening the political unity, sovereignty and territorial integrity of the state. Armenia as an UN member must comply with these rules regulating interstate relations. Ensuring the participation of both Armenian and Azerbaijani communities in the democratic and legal process, Azerbaijan is ready to grant the highest status of autonomy to Nagorno-Karabakh within its borders.

Summarizing his address, representative of Azerbaijan stressed that Oskanian’s accusations highlighted the need for raising the UN’s awareness of the situation in the occupied Azerbaijani lands. The General Assembly must know who the aggressor and the victim of aggression is. To this end, Azerbaijan will use all tools and mechanisms at its disposal.