By Trend

Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov took part in a meeting of the Council of Foreign Ministers of the CIS countries in Moscow on April 2, 2021, Trend reports with reference to the Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry.

In his speech, the minister drew attention to the issues on the agenda of the meeting, stressing that the continuation of cooperation in the humanitarian sphere will further contribute to the strengthening of interstate relations and the development of the Commonwealth.

Bayramov especially stressed the draft Appeal of the heads of the CIS member-states to the peoples of their countries and the world community in connection with the 80th anniversary of the beginning of the Great Patriotic War of 1941-1945.

The minister emphasized the colossal contribution of Azerbaijan to the victory over fascism.

“This appeal is of great importance in the fight against Nazi ideology and various forms of its propaganda,” the minister said.

Bayramov regretted that Nazism is encouraged today in the CIS as well.

The minister cited as an example the erection of a monument in the center of the capital of Armenia to fascist Garegin Nzhdeh.

Bayramov stressed that there must be no place for the glorification of fascism in the CIS.

“As a result of the successful counter-offensive operation of the Azerbaijani troops, the territories occupied by Armenia were liberated and the territorial integrity of Azerbaijan was restored,” the minister said.

The minister praised the efforts of the Russian Federation to adopt the trilateral statement of November 10, 2020 [on ceasefire and cessation of all hostilities in the Nagorno-Karabakh region], in particular, the active mediation of Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Highly assessing the activity of the Joint Russian-Turkish Monitoring Center, the foreign minister stressed the creation of a new format for strengthening security and cooperation in the region.

Bayramov drew the attention of the event participants to the fact that during the occupation all Azerbaijani cities and towns were subjected to terrible destruction and vandalism, religious and cultural monuments were deliberately looted and mosques were turned into pens for pigs.

“Currently, the work is underway to reconstruct and restore these territories,” the minister said.

Having highly appreciated the agreements reached within the trilateral statements, the minister informed the participants of the event that the opening of communications will benefit the entire region and open up new prospects for regional cooperation.

Bayramov stressed that Azerbaijan is fully committed to its obligations and returned all prisoners of war to Armenia in accordance with the trilateral statement.

At the same time, the minister drew attention to the actions of the Armenian side, which contradict the norms of international law and the trilateral statement, including the attempts of the Armenian military personnel to illegally enter the territory of Azerbaijan.

“Moreover, Armenia has not yet transferred to Azerbaijan the maps of the territories mined during the occupation,” the minister said.

In conclusion, the minister expressed hope for the support of Azerbaijan by the international community in clearing mines and restoring the liberated territories, creating appropriate conditions for peaceful coexistence on these lands.