President Aliyev, new UN envoy address Azerbaijan’s post-war recovery priorities PHOTO

President Ilham Aliyev received newly appointed UN Resident Coordinator in Azerbaijan Dmytro Shlapachenko on September 2, with Shlapachenko presenting his credentials as the sides discussed UN-Azerbaijan cooperation, post-war reconstruction, humanitarian demining and regional environmental challenges.

Addressing relations between Azerbaijan and the United Nations, President Aliyev highlighted the hosting of major UN events in Azerbaijan, including COP29 and the World Urban Forum. He also said that the International Intercultural Dialogue Forum would be organised this year jointly with the UN Alliance of Civilisations, Caliber.Az reports, citing state media.

Shlapachenko, in turn, described Azerbaijan as an important UN partner and, as a “middle power” state, noted its role in hosting major events of the organisation, including COP and the World Urban Forum in Baku. 

He also pointed to the 4th International Mine Action Conference, titled “Humanitarian Demining for Urban Recovery: Setting Standards of Excellence for Safe Settlements,” being held in Baku on September 2, and noted that UN Climate Week would also be held in Azerbaijan.

Shlapachenko highly appreciated Azerbaijan’s support for the activities of relevant UN agencies and said the organisation was ready to contribute its expertise to the country’s ongoing development programs, particularly the large-scale post-conflict reconstruction efforts in Karabakh and Eastern Zangezur.

He also highlighted the mine problem, saying the UN was ready to support Azerbaijan and share its experience in this field.

Against this backdrop, President Aliyev outlined the scale of the reconstruction underway in Azerbaijan’s liberated territories, stressing that the country’s extensive mine contamination remains a major obstacle to these efforts. He nevertheless emphasised that Azerbaijan continues to pursue systematic demining activities despite the challenges posed by landmines.

Shlapachenko said he would visit Karabakh soon and noted that a major event was planned at Karabakh University in connection with UN Day.

The meeting also covered environmental issues, including efforts to improve the ecological condition of transboundary rivers in the South Caucasus and conduct monitoring in this area, as well as the decline in the water level of the Caspian Sea.