Armenian-planted mines hinder ongoing reconstruction in liberated territories Azerbaijani leader tells UNGA chief

President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev has received Dennis Francis, the President of the 78th Session of the United Nations (UN) General Assembly, Azertag reports.

During the meeting, the sides hailed the cooperation between Azerbaijan, the UN and its various agencies.

Dennis Francis emphasized the importance of the Global Baku Forum organized by the Nizami Ganjavi International Center and the discussions held within its framework. He lauded Azerbaijan's contributions to multilateral diplomacy and intercultural dialogue.

The UN official congratulated the head of state on securing the hosting of COP29 in Azerbaijan and emphasized the importance of the “Troika” mechanism created within this framework, including Azerbaijan, the United Arab Emirates and Brazil.

Expressing his gratitude for the congratulations, President Ilham Aliyev stated that Azerbaijan had adopted an inclusive approach within the framework of the COP29 process and that the “Troika” mechanism had been created for the first time within the COP framework.

During the meeting, it was noted that Azerbaijan remained committed to the peace agenda, that the fundamental principles forming the basis of the peace agreement had been put forward by Azerbaijan, and that the parties were currently in talks on the text of the peace agreement.

The head of state emphasized that the consensus reached in the Eastern European Group regarding the holding of COP29 in Azerbaijan was itself part of the peace agenda. Thus, Azerbaijan supported Armenia's candidacy for membership of the COP Bureau from the Eastern European Group, and Armenia supported Azerbaijan's candidacy to host the COP29. “The simultaneous release of the two countries’ servicemen is a development serving the peace agenda.”

President Ilham Aliyev noted that Azerbaijan had ended the Armenian occupation by using the right of self-defence following Article 51 of the UN Charter, and as a result, the region has come closer to peace than ever before.

During the meeting, the sides exchanged views on issues such as landmines, global climate change, depletion of water resources and other pressing issues on the agenda of the UN General Assembly.

President Ilham Aliyev said that Azerbaijan’s water resources were formed outside the boundaries and borders of the country. The President underlined the importance of the ecological cleanliness of transboundary rivers and cooperation between countries of the region in this regard.

The head of state said that more than a million landmines had been planted by Armenia in the territories of Azerbaijan during the years of occupation and emphasized that this hindered ongoing reconstruction and construction work in the liberated territories and continued to pose a threat to people's lives. President Ilham Aliyev stated that Azerbaijan continues its efforts to address the mine problem using its own capabilities, and underscored the importance of support from the international community in this endeavour. The head of state said that after the liberation of Azerbaijan’s territories from occupation, more than 350 citizens had been killed and injured as a result of mine incidents.

During the conversation, the sides noted Azerbaijan's successful chairmanship of the Non-Aligned Movement, the country's initiatives related to determining humanitarian demining as a new Sustainable Development Goal within the Movement, as well as the mobilization of international efforts in this field.

The sides also stressed the importance of holding such an important event as the World Urban Forum in Azerbaijan in 2026 within the framework of the country's cooperation with UN institutions.