Azerbaijan, ICRC discuss prospects of cooperation

Baku, February 28, AZERTAC Azerbaijan’s Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov met with Peter Maurer, President of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) on the sidelines of the working visit to the United Nations Office at Geneva. The sides expressed satisfaction with the development of the cooperation over more than 20 years and exchanged views on the works carried out and prospects of development of relations. In this regard, the assistance and support rendered by ICRC to Azerbaijan highly appreciated and pointed out that the ICRC remains a key international humanitarian partner for Azerbaijan. Minister Elmar Mammadyarov touched upon the humanitarian aspects of the Armenia’s military aggression against Azerbaijan and highlighted the importance of the release of Dilgam Askarov and Shahbaz Guliyev, illegally taken hostages by armed forces of Armenia while visiting their native territories in July, 2014. Minister pointed out that Armenia by changing the demographic situation in the occupied territories of Azerbaijan, thus providing illegal settlement of ethnic Armenian refugees from Syria and carrying out illegal economic and other activities, blatantly violates its commitments under the international humanitarian law, particularly Geneva Conventions. At the meeting, the humanitarian activities carried out by the ICRC along the line of contact zone, DNA sample collection of the missing people as a result of conflict was praised. The necessity of continuing such efforts within the framework of effective mutual cooperation was emphasized. The sides exchanged views on the future perspectives of relations between Azerbaijan and ICRC.