Honorable Ministers,

Ladies and gentlemen,

At the outset, I would like to join the previous speakers in honouring the memory of the peacekeepers who have lost their lives in the cause of peace and in paying tribute to all the men and women who have served and continue to serve in peacekeeping operations.

We express our appreciation of the UN Secretary General and the President of the United States for initiating this political process in support of the peacekeeping activities of the United Nations.

The tenfold increase in the personnel size and significant diversification in the mandates of UN peacekeeping operations during just over ten years testify to the magnitude of the threats to international peace and security. On the other hand, it confirms the confidence of Member States in the United Nations as the central organization for international efforts to maintain global peace and security.

However, we cannot achieve international peace and security by peacekeeping alone. Peacekeeping is a response to an underlying problem, which usually arises due to blatant violation of the norms and principles of international law. Without diminishing the importance and contributions made by peacekeeping, we need to remember that first and foremost requirement for restoring and preserving peace and security is to ensure compliance by States with their obligations under international law, most notably those relating to respect for the political independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity of States.

Azerbaijan supports peacekeeping operations of the United Nations as one of the indispensable mechanisms in maintaining international peace and security. As a country suffering from military aggression, occupation and ethnic cleansing by neighbouring Armenia and situated in the proximity to other conflicts, Azerbaijan is committed to establishing lasting peace and security in the region and beyond on the basis of the generally accepted norms and principles of international law. 

Since 1999, Azerbaijan has contributed considerable military personnel to the peacekeeping missions in Kosovo (KFOR), Afghanistan (ISAF), and Iraq. Currently, Azerbaijan participates in the NATO-led "Resolute Support” operation in Afghanistan. We are looking forward to further cooperating and supporting the UN peacekeeping activities, including by providing training facilities inAzerbaijan for capacity building, as well as for other mission support with stuff offices.

Thank you.