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Today, the Islamic world faces serious challenges and many problems awaiting their solution, Azerbaijan’s President Ilham Aliyev said in an article titled “Strengthening of Islamic Solidarity is a Challenge of Time,” which was published by OIC Journal, the official publication of the Organization of Islamic Conference.
“Among the problems faced by the Islamic world, we can mention the Armenia-Azerbaijan Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, Palestinian and Kashmir conflicts, clashes in the Middle East, the refugee crisis and other issues,” said the president.
In the article, President Aliyev pointed to bloody actions carried out by Armenians over the last 200 years in order to occupy Azerbaijan’s historical lands and realize their plans to build their own state in these territories.
The present Armenian state was established in the ancient Azerbaijani lands, the president noted.
“Continuing its aggressive policy, in the early 1990s Armenia occupied 20 percent of Azerbaijani territories, as a result of which more than a million Azerbaijanis became refugees and internally displaced persons, and acts of ethnic cleansing and genocide were committed against our compatriots,” the Azerbaijani president said.
President Aliyev in his article also reminded the UN Security Council’s four resolutions (1993), which condemn the occupation of Azerbaijani territories and reaffirm the territorial integrity, sovereignty and inviolability of the internationally recognized borders of Azerbaijan.
“Similar documents have also been adopted by the OSCE, the Council of Europe, the European Union, the Non-Aligned Movement and other prestigious organizations. The OIC adopted numerous resolutions supporting the territorial integrity and fair position of Azerbaijan, calling for recognition of the Khojaly genocide and stressing the need to take practical steps against Armenia’s aggressive policy. The issue was repeatedly discussed at sessions of the OIC Foreign Ministers Council. Besides, in September 2016, the OIC established a Contact Group on the aggression of Armenia against Azerbaijan,” added President Aliyev.
The Azerbaijani leader said he believes the UN and OIC resolutions that openly recognize Armenia as an aggressor should be the main message for Muslim countries wishing to develop relations with the occupant state.
“Armenia’s occupation policy is an attack not only on Azerbaijan, but also on the historical and cultural heritage of Islam in general. Hundreds of Muslim monuments, mosques, places of worship, cemeteries, etc. were destroyed in the Azerbaijani territories occupied by Armenia, and all this was confirmed by the OSCE fact-finding missions,” noted President Aliyev.
In his article, the head of state pointed out that because of the occupation of Azerbaijani territories, Pakistan and Saudi Arabia officially refused to recognize Armenia and Turkey, in turn, established no relations with this country.
“Five Muslim countries have officially recognized the Khojaly genocide. We consider all this an example of fraternal relations and real support”, the Azerbaijani president said.
Apa.az
