Azerbaijani FM, senior UN official mull fight against transnational crimes

By Azernews

By Vafa Ismayilova

Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov and United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) Executive Director Ghada Fathi Waly have discussed the fight against drug trafficking and other transnational crimes, and further joint projects, the Foreign Ministry reported on May 26.

At a meeting held on May 26 in Vienna, Jeyhun Bayramov and Ghada Fathi Waly expressed satisfaction with the development of cooperation between Azerbaijan and UNODC.

They focused on the difficulties in the sphere of combating drug trafficking, corruption, and other transnational crimes and agreed to implement joint cooperation projects.

During the meeting, the two officials also discussed the ASAN Service and DOST Centers, a successful model of Azerbaijan in the fight against corruption, and stressed the importance of sharing this positive experience.

On May 26, as part of his working visit to Austria, Bayramov also met Executive Secretary of the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty Organization Lassina Zerbo.

At the meeting, the sides expressed satisfaction with the current level of bilateral cooperation. They discussed opportunities for future cooperation.

During the meeting, the minister also briefed Lassina Zerbo on the 44-day Patriotic War. He stressed that indiscriminate and disproportionate methods were used by Armenia during the war.

Bayramov noted missile attacks launched by Armenia on Azerbaijan's civilian objects of Azerbaijan and referred to the existence of pieces of evidence on the ground. He also highlighted the cooperation opportunities with relevant international organizations in this regard.

As part of his working visit to Austria, Bayramov also met representatives of the Azerbaijani diaspora in this country on May 26.

During the meeting, the officials spoke about Armenia's occupation policy towards Azerbaijan, the latter's efforts to resolve the Karabakh conflict peacefully for almost 30 years, and the futility of these efforts as a result of Armenia’s non-constructive position.

At the meeting, Bayramov noted that thanks to the counter-offensive operations of the Azerbaijani armed forces in response to Armenia's provocations, Azerbaijan's territorial integrity was restored.

The minister spoke about the new regional realities after the 44-day Armenia-Azerbaijan Second Karabakh War and the steps taken to normalize relations with Armenia.

During the meeting, he answered numerous questions, including the ones about the development of Azerbaijani-Austrian cooperation and the diaspora's role in this sphere.