President Ilham Aliyev highlights problems in enforcement of international law from CICA platform — OPINION

One of the key issues President Ilham Aliyev has brought to the attention of the international community is the absence of an adequate political and legal assessment at the international level of Armenia's long-standing occupation policy and its severe humanitarian consequences, Member of Parliament Sabina Salmanova told Report while commenting on the president's speech at the 7th Summit of the Conference on Interaction and Confidence Building Measures in Asia (CICA), held under Azerbaijan's chairmanship.

"President Ilham Aliyev recalled that approximately 20% of Azerbaijan's internationally recognized territory remained under occupation for nearly 30 years, while around one million Azerbaijanis were expelled from their native lands and subjected to ethnic cleansing. Alongside Karabakh and Eastern Zangazur, the displacement of Azerbaijanis living in the territory of present-day Armenia from their historical lands has also left a deep mark on the memory of our people," Salmanova said.

"Azerbaijan's experience once again showed that it is not enough for international organizations merely to adopt decisions; effective mechanisms must also exist to ensure their implementation. President Ilham Aliyev's position on this issue is also relevant to the future of the international security system. As the head of state emphasized, unless mechanisms are created to ensure the implementation of decisions and resolutions adopted by the UN Security Council and other international organizations, it will be difficult to prevent wars and conflicts," she said.

Salmanova noted that allowing an aggressor to go unpunished creates new threats, weakens confidence in international law and contributes to the prolongation of conflicts.

"For this reason, eliminating double standards in international relations and applying the same criteria to the sovereignty and territorial integrity of states are among the fundamental conditions of global security. Azerbaijan's restoration of its territorial integrity and sovereignty has once again brought the importance of the norms and principles of international law to the fore," she said.

The MP added that Azerbaijan continues to support lasting peace in the region and the establishment of interstate relations based on mutual respect and legal obligations.

"In this regard, multilateral platforms such as CICA create favorable opportunities for discussing international problems, bringing states' positions closer together and strengthening mutual trust," Salmanova said.

She stated that under President Ilham Aliyev's leadership, Azerbaijan is firmly defending its national interests while also contributing to regional and global security, the development of interstate dialogue and the strengthening of multilateral cooperation.