On September 5, 2023, as part of the official visit of the Republic of Azerbaijan's Minister of Foreign Affairs, Jeyhun Bayramov, to the Republic of Croatia, he participated in and delivered remarks during a roundtable discussion on "Security Issues in the South Caucasus and Prospects for Cooperation between Azerbaijan and Croatia" organized by the Institute for Development and International Relations (IRMO) in Croatia, the Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry told APA.
During the roundtable discussions, which involved representatives from academic circles and think tanks in Croatia, the discussions covered various aspects of the existing bilateral cooperation between Azerbaijan and Croatia, as well as the current situation in the region.
Minister Jeyhun Bayramov, speaking during the discussions, emphasized the exceptional role of mutual contacts, high-level visits, and political consultations in the development of Azerbaijan and Croatia's strategic partnership. He highlighted the presence of a bilateral, and especially multilateral, agenda of mutually beneficial cooperation between the two countries. The minister particularly praised the demonstration of mutual support and solidarity within international organization.
The necessity of utilizing the existing potential for the development of Azerbaijan-Croatia relations in various fields, especially in economic, energy security, alternative energy, investments, transportation, logistics, pharmaceuticals, tourism, and others, has been emphasized.
The necessity of utilizing the existing potential for the development of Azerbaijan-Croatia relations in various fields, especially in economic, energy security, alternative energy, investments, transportation, logistics, pharmaceuticals, tourism, and others, has been emphasized.
Minister Jeyhun Bayramov also provided detailed information to the participants about the current situation in the region after the 44-day Patriotic War, the reconstruction and construction works carried out in the liberated territories, as well as the normalization process between Azerbaijan and Armenia.
In the calls to prevent the advancement of the peace agenda, attention was drawn to Armenia's slow pace and provocations, its actions against the sovereignty and territorial integrity of our country, including its failure to completely withdraw Armenian armed forces from Azerbaijani territories, interference with the reintegration of Armenian residents living in the Karabakh region into our society, and the continued threat of landmines.
The Minister emphasized that Armenia's false propaganda around the Lachin road has no basis, as the roads passing through Azerbaijani territory are provided for the transportation of goods to the Azerbaijani Karabakh region where Armenian residents live in parallel. Despite this, he pointed out that Armenia and its puppet regime created in our territories are obstructing the process by the representatives of Armenia. He highlighted that claims of "blockade" and a "difficult humanitarian situation" in the region are nothing more than political manipulation. In this context, he reminded of Armenia's misuse of the Lachin road during the two and a half years after the war.
It was emphasized that after nearly 30 years of conflict, preserving the historic opportunity for peace in the region is of utmost importance, and the accurate assessment of the international community of the situation in the region, as well as the formation of an adequate stance against Armenia's provocations, are more critical than ever.
Subsequently, the discussions continued with a question-and-answer session.
Source: Azeri-Press News Agency