Azerbaijan urges multilateral reform, says achieved 'de facto peace' with Armenia

Azerbaijan said on Friday that eroding trust in multilateral institutions is weakening the international community's ability to confront global threats, pointing to normalization with Armenia as a model for restoring trust.

"The growing limitations of multilateral mechanisms continue to undermine our collective ability to respond effectively to current and emerging threats," Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov told the 81st session of the UN General Assembly in New York.

He said reversing the trend "requires joint action, but true transformation is impossible without first restoring trust in the international order and demonstrating that multilateralism can once again deliver tangible results for all."

Bayramov said "Azerbaijan advocates for a reinvigorated and reformed multilateral system, underpinned by strict adherence to consistent and non-selective application of universally accepted norms and principles of international law," adding that "the reform of the UN Security Council is essential to make it more representative, effective, and responsive."

He said Azerbaijan "has chosen to look ahead and turn the page of enmity" and offered Armenia "peace, fully in line with norms and principles of international law, based on mutual recognition of and respect for each other's sovereignty and territorial integrity."

He pointed to last August's Washington summit, where "the leaders of Azerbaijan and Armenia signed a joint declaration, witnessed by President Trump of the United States of America," saying the two countries have since achieved "de facto peace," including lifting transit restrictions and regular oil supplies from Baku to Yerevan.

On reconstruction efforts in the formerly occupied territories, Bayramov said work is underway on "smart cities and smart villages powered by green technology," though "a massive contamination of the territories of Azerbaijan with landmines and other explosive devices remains a serious obstacle."

He also urged resolving the fate of nearly 4,000 missing Azerbaijanis as essential "for accountability and the rights of the victims and their families."