Azərbaycan Respublikasının
BMT yanında
Daimi Nümayəndəliyi

Permanent Mission
of the Republic of Azerbaijan
to the United Nations

633 Third Avenue, Suite 3210, New York, N.Y. 10017
Tel.: (212) 371-2559; Fax: (212) 371-2784

Statement by H.E. Mr. Tofig F. Musayev

Permanent Representative of the Republic of Azerbaijan to the United Nations

at the General Debate of the Third Committee

of the eightieth session of the United Nations General Assembly
 

8 October 2025

Mr. Chair,

At the outset, I would like to congratulate you and the other members of the Bureau on your election.

Mr. Chair, the protection and promotion of human rights and fundamental freedoms are the highest priority objectives, as determined by the Constitution of Azerbaijan, and continuous legal and institutional measures are taken in the country to that end in line with international standards.

Azerbaijan attaches particular importance to cooperation and dialogue with the relevant United Nations human rights mechanisms, in particular the Universal Periodic Review, the treaty bodies and the Special Procedures mandate holders.

In the field of socio-economic development, the policy programme entitled “Azerbaijan 2030: National Priorities for Socio-Economic Development”, approved by the President of Azerbaijan, includes a competitive economy; a dynamic and inclusive society based on social justice; competitive human capital; the Great Return Programme; and a clean environment and a country of “green growth”.

Mr. Chair, practicing tolerance and living together in peace are stipulated as one of the means of achieving the common ends of the Charter of the United Nations. Unfortunately, racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance remain among the most enduring and growing challenges for the international community, affronting human dignity and equality.

At the same time, acts of harassment, intimidation, violence and incitement based on religion or belief have risen sharply throughout the world, reaching alarming levels, while Islamophobia trends are on the rise and are being materialized in various forms, including the use of media.

As a multiethnic and multicultural society, Azerbaijan proudly preserves and develops its diversity as its strength. Being at the crossroads of different cultures and civilizations, Azerbaijan has consistently promoted intercultural dialogue globally. Notably, the “Baku Process”, launched in 2008, with the World Forum on Intercultural Dialogue as its component part, serves as an internationally recognized platform for raising awareness and exchanging best practices on issues related to intercultural dialogue among various international stakeholders.

Mr. Chair, following the end of the conflict and the liberation of its territories from nearly thirty years of occupation, Azerbaijan initiated the normalization of relations with Armenia based on the five basic principles rooted in international law and tabled the proposal for a peace treaty. The subsequent negotiations materialized in the initialing by the Ministers of Foreign Affairs of Azerbaijan and Armenia of the text of the Agreement on the Establishment of Peace and Inter-State Relations between the two countries on 8 August this year.

Over the past five years, Azerbaijan has launched and continued large-scale rehabilitation and reconstruction in the liberated territories to rebuild entire cities, towns and villages and thus to enable the hundreds of thousands of forcibly displaced persons to exercise their right to safe and dignified return to their places of origin. More than 50,000 people have already returned to their homes.

However, these efforts are seriously hampered by the massive contamination of these areas by landmines and other explosives. The number of post-conflict mine victims in Azerbaijan is rising and has reached 409 since November 2020, of whom 71 lost their lives and 338 suffered horrific injuries, most of them civilians.

In its Concluding Observations adopted in March 2024 concerning the combined second and third periodic reports of Azerbaijan, the Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities expressed concern over the extensive presence of landmines in Azerbaijan’s territory, assessing this grave humanitarian problem under Article 11 – Situations of Risk and Humanitarian Emergencies.

The scale and magnitude of the landmine threat in Azerbaijan necessitate enhanced accountability, stronger solidarity and partnership, and adequate international assistance for national humanitarian demining capability and efforts.

Another pressing humanitarian issue is the fate of nearly four thousand (3,990) Azerbaijani nationals who went missing in connection with the conflict since the early 1990s. Among the missing, 779 are civilians, including 284 women, 316 elderly and 71 children. In several of these cases, people went missing along with their family members, resulting in the destruction of entire generations. Some of the missing disappeared even after being visited in custody by the International Committee of the Red Cross.

Since the end of the occupation and the conflict, the remains of 187 persons were found in 28 mass graves and other burial sites in the liberated territories. Most of them were identified and returned to their families. These graves shed light on the willful killing of civilians and other persons protected under international humanitarian law.

Azerbaijan has taken decisive steps to investigate and prosecute numerous atrocity crimes committed during the conflict, in full accordance with its national legislation and obligations under international law. As to the persons charged with committing serious offences, they are provided with legal assistance and regular communication with their families and are also visited by the Ombudsperson of Azerbaijan. The relevant international mechanisms have unambiguously rejected the claims of their arbitrary deprivation of liberty. Moreover, in its opinion issued this February, the Working Group on Arbitrary Detention of the Human Rights Council concluded that the offences involved resulted in numerous deaths, hundreds of injuries and the destruction of vast amounts of property, including through rocket attacks and the laying of thousands of mines.

Mr. Chair, sovereign equality, respect for territorial integrity and non-interference in the internal affairs of States are fundamental principles enshrined in the Charter of the United Nations. We oppose the growing trends of politicization of human rights, double standards, and interference in States’ internal affairs under the pretext of human rights, on various international platforms. In this regard, we stress that certain issues brought to the attention of the Third Committee, including those related to China, must be approached with that understanding and in full conformity with the aforementioned principles.

Thank you.