Baku, September 26, AZERTAC
Azerbaijan’s Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov addressed the 81st session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York.
The FM emphasized the importance of a reinvigorated and reformed multilateral system based on strict adherence to international law, sovereign equality, and non-interference.
He highlighted the urgent need for reform of the UN Security Council to ensure equitable representation for developing nations.
He also highlighted the de facto peace achieved between Azerbaijan and Armenia following the Washington Peace Summit, noting the tangible economic dividends of the peace agenda, including the unilateral lifting of transit restrictions and the initiation of bilateral trade in certain areas.
Stressing the need to eliminate the remaining obstacles to the signing of the peace agreement, Jeyhun Bayramov underscored that successful post-conflict rehabilitation and reconstruction efforts have enabled more than 90,000 citizens to return to liberated territories.
FM Bayramov underlined the ongoing threat posed by landmines, noting that they have caused more than 400 casualties since 2020 and more than 3,500 casualties during the past 30 years, while emphasizing the formal adoption of humanitarian demining as Azerbaijan’s 18th National Sustainable Development Goal (SDG).
He also called for international support to clarify the fate of nearly 4,000 missing persons to advance post-conflict reconciliation and accountability.
According to him, Azerbaijan’s role in developing trans-regional connectivity is driving a 90 percent increase in cargo volume along the Middle Corridor via Baku Port and the Baku-Tbilisi-Kars railway.
The Azerbaijani official also stressed the importance of advancing the "Trump Route for International Peace and Prosperity" (TRIPP) to unlock unimpeded multimodal connectivity between mainland Azerbaijan and its Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic.
Jeyhun Bayramov spoke about Azerbaijan's efforts to expand regional digital connectivity through the Trans-Caspian Digital Silk Way fiber-optic network and the country’s strong economic transformation, noting a threefold increase in GDP and a reduction in poverty from 49% to 5%.
Bayramov also highlighted Azerbaijan’s role as a reliable natural gas supplier to 16 countries and its rapid clean energy transition, including plans to develop 6 GW of solar and wind projects and generate 40% of electricity from renewables by 2030.
He also touched upon the global impact of Azerbaijan’s climate leadership at COP29, including efforts to triple global climate finance targets, operationalize Article 6 carbon markets, advance the Loss and Damage Fund, and organize the UNFCCC Climate Week.
The FM also underscored Azerbaijan’s contribution to the global urban agenda by hosting WUF13.
Jeyhun Bayramov expressed concern about the declining Caspian Sea levels and called for collective and sustained littoral action.
The official underlined Azerbaijan's leadership in institutional innovation by sharing its globally recognized ASAN and DOST models, which inspired a UN Human Rights Council resolution co-sponsored by over 100 states.
The Minister touched upon more than $400 million in humanitarian, economic, and technical assistance that Azerbaijan has provided since 2020 to more than 140 countries, prioritizing Small Island Developing States (SIDS) and African partners.