Having played a crucial role in Azerbaijan’s formation and development, Heydar Aliyev left an indelible mark in the history of Azerbaijan. "Azerbaijan & Heydar Aliyev" is a special project of Trend News Agency, dedicated to the 100th anniversary of the national leader, which will cover key events of Heydar Aliyev's work in the years of his leading Azerbaijan.
On October 22, 1995, Heydar Aliyev took part in a special solemn meeting of the UN General Assembly dedicated to the 50th anniversary of the UN. The National Leader made a speech at the event.
"I heartily congratulate you on behalf of the Azerbaijani people on the occasion of the 50-year anniversary of the United Nations Organization, which has made great contributions to the strengthening of peace, security and stability in the world. Within the past 50 years since the foundation of the United Nations, great changes have taken place in the world. It is an evidence of the fundamental renewal of the world and implementation of the principles of the Charter of the United Nations into life," Heydar Aliyev said.
As the National Leader noted, the main achievement is that despite the acute confrontation in the years of "the cold war", the breaking of a new world war has been prevented.
"Colonialism, apartheid, and racial discrimination remained in the past. The peoples have gained the chance to determine their fates, obtained freedom and independence. The independence and sovereignty gained by the republics of the former Soviet Union are historical events," he added.
According to Heydar Aliyev, universal values are being spread and established in the world. "The ideas of freedom, democracy and human rights occupy a special place among them. The necessity of implementation of democratic changes in socio-political and state construction, in economy, in all the spheres of life has become the most essential factor for many countries. All the UN-members, particularly the economically developed countries and the states with their own democratic traditions have made their contributions for the present achievements. But the main role in all this belongs to the United Nations. It has become the most influential and authoritative international organization in the past 50 years," he pointed out.
I hope that the financial problems experienced by the United Nations now will be removed for the sake of its future successful activities, he added.
"All this gladdens us and evokes the sense of pride in our hearts. But the world is not completely secure, perfect and ideal yet. There are still problems to be solved fundamentally. Violation of the international legal norms in the inter-state relations, international terrorism, spread of the weapons of mass destruction, famine and poverty, ecological disasters are just such problems. Manifestation of the cases of aggressive nationalism and separatism as the cause of bloody wars in a number of regions of the world, countless human sufferings and deprivations threaten peace greatly," he said.
The aggression of the Republic of Armenia against Azerbaijan has been going on for more than seven years, he noted, adding that "the aim of this aggression is to annex the Karabakh province of Azerbaijan. The armed forces of Armenia have occupied over 20 per cent of the Azerbaijan territory, over a million of our citizens have become refugees as a result of this aggression and at present they live in hard, intolerable conditions in tent camps. The Security Council of the United Nations adopted four resolutions which demand the unconditional and immediate withdrawal of the armed forces of Armenia from the Azerbaijan territory. But the aggressor ignores them. Therefore, the processes aimed at the peaceful regulation of the conflict within the frames of the Minsk group of OSCE yielded no proper results yet".
"Distinguished heads of states and governments, today I appeal to you, to the United Nations and the OSCE and ask to render an effective assistance to the peaceful solution of the Armenian-Azerbaijani conflict, to the restoration of the territorial integrity and inviolability of the internationally recognized borders of Azerbaijan.
Expressing the will of the Azerbaijani people, I declare that we denounce any form of aggression in any point of the world. We want peace, we want peace in the whole world, in our region and we want to have peace and good relations with all the neighboring countries. With these hopes and belief I leave this high rostrum," Heydar Aliyev concluded.