Minister Elmar Mammadyarov met with the former Secretary General of the United Nations Ban Ki-moon, who attends 41st World Scout Conference in Baku

At the meeting, the sides expressed their satisfaction with the current level of the relations between the Republic of Azerbaijan and Republic of Korea and exchanged views on the agenda of bilateral relations.

Minister Elmar Mammadyarov highly appreciated Ban Ki-moon’s visit to our country and said that such visits make substantial contribution to the promotion of bilateral relations. Minister also commended the role of Ban Ki-moon during his tenure as the UN Secretary-General in the development of cooperation between Azerbaijan and the UN.

During the meeting, it was noted that this year marks the 25th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries and features various public events arranged in both countries to this end.

Ban Ki-moon mentioned that there is broad potential for expanding ties and development of cooperation in the field of oil, gas, transport, high-technologies and tourism as well as realization of direct flights between the two countries.

Ban Ki-moon inquired on the current status of the negotiation process on the settlement of Armenia-Azerbaijan Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. Elmar Mammadyarov informed the guest about the current situation and status of the negotiation process on the Armenia-Azerbaijan Nagorno-Karabakh conflict and stated that, as endorsed in the relevant UN Security Council resolutions, the conflict must be resolved solely in accordance with the norms and principles of international law, particularly within the sovereignty, territorial integrity and internationally recognized borders of Azerbaijan. He also reiterated that Armenia’s troops must be withdrawn from the occupied territories of Azerbaijan for the settlement of the conflict, which constitute a serious threat to the regional peace and security. Minister Elmar Mammadyarov emphasized that the support by the Government of Korea for the just position of Azerbaijan on Armenia-Azerbaijan Nagorno-Karabakh conflict and firm stance on resolution of the conflict on the basis of the territorial integrity, sovereignty and inviolability of internationally recognized borders of Azerbaijan is highly appreciated.

Ban Ki-moon expressed his gratitude to Azerbaijani side for hosting the 41st World Scout Conference and stressed that such events contribute to the exchange of ideas and establishment of communication among the youth community of the world.

At the meeting, the situation in Korean Peninsula, increasing the role of the UN in the settlement of conflicts in the world was also discussed.