Baku, February 27, AZERTAC
Azerbaijan’s Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov has described the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) as one of the key international humanitarian partners of Azerbaijan, as he met with the organizations’ president Peter Maurer on the sidelines of the 40th session of the UN Human Rights Council.
The sides exchanged views on the current state and prospects of the Azerbaijan and the ICRC relations, and expressed hope for further development of the successful cooperation. Minister Elmar Mammadyarov praised the ICRC’s activity in the context of the Armenia-Azerbaijan Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.
Mammadyarov highlighted the current situation of the negotiations over the settlement of the Armenia-Azerbaijan Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. He said Azerbaijan supports the results-oriented talks and the conflict must be settled within Azerbaijan`s territorial integrity and its internationally recognized borders in accordance with the UN Security Council resolutions and OSCE documents.
Pointing to the humanitarian aspects of the aggression of Armenia against Azerbaijan, FM Mammadyarov emphasized the importance of the release of Shahbaz Guliyev and Dilgam Asgarov, who were illegally taken hostage by Armenia back in 2014, while they were visiting their native lands. Underlining the violation of international humanitarian law by Armenia, especially its commitments taken by the 1949 Geneva Conventions, Minister Mammadyarov noted the importance of the ICRC’s providing necessary assessment to these acts of occupying country.
Peter Maurer thanked for the information, and stressed that the humanitarian cooperation and the relevant projects relating the conflict settlement will be continued.
Minister Mammadyarov invited the ICRC president to attend the 18th Summit of the heads of state and government of the Non-Aligned Movement to be held in Baku on 25-26 October 2019.