Azerbaijan, Baku, June 19 / Trend M. Aliyev /
An important part of the political development tendency in the modern world is associated with wide spread regional integration processes, first deputy chairman of the Azerbaijani Parliament Ziyafet Asgarov said at the opening of the 30th meeting of the Executive Committee of the Parliamentary Union of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) in Baku on Wednesday.
He added that cooperation opportunities created by regional organisations, open the way for intensifying the bilateral and multilateral political, economic, cultural and other relations between the countries.
Business cooperation carried out within the OIC, helps intensify relations in the political, economic and humanitarian spheres between the members of the organisation, he added.
"Today it is impossible to solve the political, economic, environmental and many other problems in the world without a joint effort between the countries," he said. "On the other hand, a number of the development tendencies in the global policy put the need for close cooperation of Islamic countries at the forefront."
Islam is one of the greatest spiritual values, connecting our nations, he said.
"The affection towards religion forms the spiritual qualities that create a solid foundation for the purification of the inner world of a person and the development of society," he said. "Islam plays a significant role in shaping the criteria of morality in the society and the principles of friendship and humanity. Azerbaijan perceives Islam as a religion of friendship, brotherhood and solidarity. Cooperation established on a solid foundation, as the common value of our people, will turn the region into a zone of prosperity and progress."
He regretted that the major obstacles to the regional and international peace and security create a number of unresolved issues, including the Armenian-Azerbaijani Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.
"We believe that all conflicts must be resolved soon on the basis of the generally accepted norms and principles of international law and in particular the principle of the inviolability of borders and territorial integrity of the countries," he said. "I believe that turning the region into a zone of peace and stability would respond to the interests of all those living there."
The conflict between the two South Caucasus countries began in 1988 when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. Armenian armed forces have occupied 20 per cent of Azerbaijan since 1992, including the Nagorno-Karabakh region and seven surrounding districts.
Azerbaijan and Armenia signed a ceasefire agreement in 1994. The co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group, Russia, France and the U.S. are currently holding peace negotiations.
Armenia has not yet implemented the U.N. Security Council's four resolutions on the liberation of the Nagorno-Karabakh and the surrounding regions.