Washington, January 14 (AZERTAC). The American newspaper The Hill has posted an article by Elmar Mammadyarov, Azerbaijan`s Minister of Foreign Affairs.

In his article titled “UN Security Council tenure broadens Azerbaijan`s experience”, the minister says that shortly after Azerbaijan`s election to the United Nations Security Council as a non-permanent member, President Ilham Aliyev declared that his nation`s priorities would be to promote the ideals of justice and supremacy of international law enshrined in the U.N. Charter.

“Guided by this vision, Azerbaijan worked hard over its U.N. Security Council tenure to share its experiences and help to bring about global peace and security. Having true conviction in goodwill diplomacy, Azerbaijan started to build constructive dialogue within the Security Council,” Mammadyarov notes.

Mammadyarov points out that the debate over Syria obviously contributed to perceptions about the Council`s ability to address crisis. “The unanimous position by the council last fall marked important progress toward addressing Syria`s chemical weapons file. In addition, under Azerbaijan’s presidency, the statement adopted by the Council provided the solid basis and support for addressing the humanitarian consequences of the conflict.”

The spirit of consensus has prevailed on most issues before the Security Council over the past two years and members have demonstrated an ability to work together. Last year was a very successful year in which, apart from Syria, progress was made on a number of other tough issues, in particular on Mali, the Democratic Republic of Congo and the Republic of Sudan-South Sudan relations.

The diplomat writes that it is clear that unity among the five permanent members is absolutely necessary. Meanwhile, it is also important to remember that both permanent and non-permanent members of the Security Council bear collective responsibility for international peace and security.

The 10 non-permanent members can make a difference, affect outcomes and contribute constructively to consensus building. They bring diverse and unique perspectives based on their regional knowledge and experiences. It is especially apparent when a non-permanent member holds the presidency.

During Azerbaijan`s first Security Council presidency in May 2012, it coordinated a high-level meeting chaired by Aliyev on strengthening international cooperation against terrorism. During its second presidency, in October of 2013, it convened the first-ever meeting between the U.N. Security Council and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, creating an unprecedented opportunity to promote greater cooperation between the two organizations and work toward global peace.

During its two years on the Security Council - Mammadyarov writes - Azerbaijan continued to stress that the effectiveness of the Council rests with its member states and their willingness to adhere to their obligations under the U.N. Charter. It remains a concern, however, that in some cases U.N. Security Council resolutions have been ignored.

The diplomat says that as a nation suffering from the occupation of its territories and forcible displacement of almost one million people by Armenia, Azerbaijan still witnesses grave and systematic violations of fundamental norms and principles of international law.

Twenty years ago, in 1993 - Mammadyarov points out - the U.N. Security Council adopted four resolutions demanding the immediate, complete and unconditional withdrawal of Armenian armed forces from the occupied territories of Azerbaijan. These resolutions also reaffirmed respect for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Azerbaijan and its internationally recognized borders. Unfortunately, all four resolutions remain unfulfilled by Armenia.

The Minister of Foreign Affairs writes that Azerbaijan`s U.N. Security Council membership opened a new page in his nation`s foreign policy. This experience will undoubtedly contribute to Azerbaijan`s unwavering determination to further support international peace and security, cross-cultural dialogue and humanitarian assistance and aid programs.

Azerbaijan was elected a member of the United Nations Security Council for the first time in its history after winning the vacancy on the world`s most powerful body during voting on October 24, 2011 in New York.

Azerbaijan claimed the non-permanent seat for the term 2012-13, awarded to an Eastern European country, on the 17th round of balloting after it scored votes from 155 U.N. Member States in the General Assembly - well clear of the necessary two-thirds majority of States present and voting. Other non-permanent members for 2012-2013 were Morocco, Togo, Guatemala and Pakistan. New non-permanent members of the United Nations Security Council for 2014-2015 became Chad, Nigeria, Chili, Jordan and Lithuania.