MFA: Nagorno-Karabakh conflict key obstacle to cooperation within CIS

By Azernews

By Akbar Mammadov

Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov has said that the Armenian-Azerbaijani Nagorno-Karabakh conflict is a major obstacle to closer cooperation between the the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) member states against new challenges and threats, the Foreign Ministry's website reported.

The minister made the remarks during the CIS meeting held via a video conference on May 12.

He noted that the conflict does not allow for the full and effective realization of the integration potential within the CIS.

The Minister stressed that Azerbaijan has the right to restore its territorial integrity by all means within its internationally recognized borders, as stated in the UN Charter, the Helsinki Final Act, the Paris Charter and the known resolutions of the UN Security Council.

During the meeting, Mammadyarov also spoke about Azerbiajan’s fight against the novel coronavirus pandemic both in domestic and international level. He reminded that Azerbaijan has provided voluntary financial assistance to the World Health Organization in the fight against coronavirus in the amount of $10 million. Azerbaijan also provides financial and in-kind assistance to individual countries.

During the three-hour meeting, 14 issues on the agenda of the Foreign Ministry were considered.

In particular, the CIS Foreign Ministers signed important documents covering international youth cooperation, physical culture and sports, culture and other areas of cooperation, as well as a plan for multi-level inter-ministerial consultations within the CIS in 2019 and Decision on the Plan for 2020.