Azerbaijan is trying to improve the divided world through the Global Baku Forum
Armenia illegally occupied our lands in violation of international law. Our country got its land back from Armenia through war. The territorial integrity of Azerbaijan has already been restored. Azerbaijan ended the “frozen” conflict in nearly 30 years. In his speech at the opening ceremony of the 11th Global Baku Forum held in Baku on March 14, President Ilham Aliyev also spoke about this: “The norms of international law were on our side, Azerbaijan was subjected to illegal occupation, ethnic cleansing and genocide. We restored justice and international law ourselves. No one helped us, we did it ourselves.” 30 years ago, the Azerbaijani people were forcibly expelled from their home, land, and homeland under the threat of genocide. The opportunity to return to their homes without obstacles, to continue normal democratic development, to preserve their language, culture, and spiritual heritage, to restore their property rights, and to organize their lives in accordance with the norms and principles of international law is the basic and inalienable right of the Azerbaijani people. The right to voluntary return of internally displaced persons as a result of the conflict is a recognized norm of international law. It is enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the International Convention on Civil and Political Rights and numerous regional declarations.
At the opening ceremony of the forum, the guests noted in their speeches that holding a prestigious event like COP29 in Baku is of great importance. He pointed out that this event will breathe new life into the discussions on climate change. President Ilham Aliyev said in his speech that the holding of COP29 in Azerbaijan is the acceptance of Azerbaijan’s efforts regarding the green transition: “It is not our fault that we have oil and gas resources, and we should not be criticized for that. All the work we have done regarding the green transition has already had practical results.” Today, the environmental problem has become one of the most urgent global problems of our time. Deterioration of environmental conditions has a negative impact on all its components – water resources and the world ocean, the Earth’s soil layer and its bottom, plant and animal life, as well as the atmosphere and climate. On the other hand, the rapid increase in the world’s population, scientific and technical progress, and the creation of modern weapons exacerbate environmental problems. The effect of climate change on Azerbaijan is expected. The general ecological situation in the republic is the focus of the head of state Ilham Aliyev. 2010 was declared “Year of Ecology” by the President. In the framework of the “Year of Ecology” the attention to the solution of problems related to the environment has been increased. We are sure that this attention will increase even more during COP29. We are already seeing it in the daily media. A special meeting on this issue was held on December 15 last year under the leadership of Mr. President. In this meeting, the head of state gave his recommendations and instructions to the relevant institutions regarding the upcoming tasks related to COP29. By the relevant order of Mr. President, the Organizing Committee has already been established in connection with the holding of COP29, the 19th session of the Meeting of the Parties to the Kyoto Protocol and the 6th session of the Meeting of the Parties to the Paris Agreement. According to President Ilham Aliyev, COP29 will allow us to demonstrate that a country that lives independently and does not depend on anyone can develop successfully: “It also demonstrates the correct policy that Azerbaijan has conducted in the last 30 years. From a practical point of view, this will be an opportunity for us to contribute to solidarity”.
The Global Baku Forum has already become one of the most famous global platforms in the world. Because the best think tanks are brought together here. Let’s also say that this time the XI Global Baku Forum dedicated to the topic of “Fixing The Fractured World” was attended by representatives of many countries and prestigious international organizations.
For 11 years, Baku forums have made global calls to the international world. There was full cooperation in the meetings of the forum. Common issues that concern the world were discussed together here. Ways have been sought to bridge the cracks of the divided world. The debates within the forum were very sincere and open. For example, the session of the last panel of the second day of the Forum was devoted to the topic “The role of regional military and economic alliances”. At this meeting, attention was drawn to the idea that artificial intelligence will cause threats to humanity. In the discussions, there were those who opposed the transfer of global governance to artificial intelligence. Apparently, Azerbaijan is trying to improve the divided world through this Forum. The purpose of coming together is to find a way out. For this, real steps should be taken and work should be done according to global requirements. For this, Azerbaijan has always demonstrated its good intentions.
Rustamova Aybeniz Vilayat gizi, Head of the Department of Humanities and Regional Studies of the Eurasian University, Doctor of Philosophy in History, Associate Professor