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 First Committee

of the eightieth session of the United Nations General Assembly
 

16 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 world continues to grapple with a broad spectrum of challenges that no single country can overcome on its own. Rising geopolitical tensions, armed conflicts, and the ongoing challenges to the international disarmament and arms control architecture make the world more fragmented and uncompromising.

Azerbaijan is firmly committed and faithfully adheres to its arms control, non-proliferation, and disarmament obligations and has consistently reaffirmed its dedication to the three pillars of the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT), namely, nuclear disarmament, non-proliferation, and the peaceful use of nuclear energy.

This position was also promoted by Azerbaijan in its capacity as Chair of the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) from 2019 to 2023.

Furthermore, Azerbaijan has maintained a robust and productive partnership with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). Our collaboration focuses on ensuring nuclear safety and security, as well as the peaceful use of nuclear technology.

To serve the common interest of all humankind, outer space must be preserved for peaceful purposes.  In this regard, Azerbaijan supports the efforts aimed at preventing an arms race in outer space and emphasises the importance of international cooperation.

Azerbaijan further commends the efforts towards maintaining and promoting an open, secure, stable, accessible, peaceful, and interoperable environment for information and communications technology. We are confident that a secure and trusted cyberspace is vital for all States to attain sustainable development objectives and enhance living conditions.

Given the increasing security challenges, ranging from nuclear risks to emergent threats such as cyber warfare, it is evident that international peace and security depend on our collective resolve.

Mr. Chair, following the end of the conflict and the liberation of its territories from nearly thirty years of occupation, Azerbaijan initiated the normalisation of relations with Armenia based on the five basic principles rooted in international law and tabled the proposal for a peace treaty. As a result of subsequent negotiations, the Ministers of Foreign Affairs of Azerbaijan and Armenia initialed the text of the Agreement on the Establishment of Peace and Inter-State Relations between the two countries on 8 August of this year. Thus, an important historic step was taken towards ending the long-lasting conflict and signing a peace agreement.

In our statements at the previous sessions, we warned about destabilising actions by certain external powers to interfere in regional affairs. It would be pertinent to remind in this regard that all States shall comply in good faith with their obligations under the generally recognised principles and rules of international law with respect to the maintenance of international peace and security.   

Mr. Chair, the past conflict turned Azerbaijan into one of the most heavily mine-contaminated countries in the world, with an estimated 1.5 million landmines and an unknown number of explosive remnants of war, which continue to pose severe risks to civilians, hamper the essential reconstruction and development works and obstruct the safe return of the forcibly displaced population to their homes.

As a result, the number of post-conflict mine victims in Azerbaijan since November 2020 has reached 409, of whom 71 lost their lives and 338 suffered horrific injuries, the majority of whom are civilians, including children and women.

In his recent report on assistance in mine action, the Secretary-General emphasised that, given limited funding, the international humanitarian disarmament framework encounters significant challenges, pointing out in this regard that concerted, coordinated and adequately financed mine action is imperative to reverse the perilous trajectory outlined in the report (A/80/272).

The scale and magnitude of the landmine threat in Azerbaijan necessitate enhanced accountability, stronger solidarity and partnership, and adequate international assistance to bolster national humanitarian demining capabilities and initiatives.

Mr. Chair, in conclusion, I wish to assure you of my delegation’s full support for your efforts to attain a successful outcome of the work of the First Committee.

Thank you.