UN notes Azerbaijan's role as reliable partner in energy sector

Azerbaijan's Deputy Foreign Minister Fariz Rzayev has noted Baku's role as a reliable partner in the energy sector at the ministerial segment of the UN High-Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development, Report informs.

According to the Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry, the deputy minister was in New York from July 13-17 to participate in the aforementioned event.

During the ministerial segment, Rzayev reaffirmed Azerbaijan's commitment to the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and outlined the progress made in implementing the Sustainable Development Goals.

He stated that, as part of the Great Return Program, smart and green cities and villages are being built in liberated territories, the gradual return of former internally displaced persons to their homelands is being ensured, and he emphasized the importance of humanitarian demining for sustainable development.

The deputy minister also noted Azerbaijan's contribution to global sustainable development through hosting COP29, the 13th World Urban Forum (WUF13), and through humanitarian assistance and technical cooperation.

Speaking at the informal ministerial meeting of the UN General Assembly entitled "Taking Stock of the Pact for the Future," Rzayev emphasized the importance of focusing the Pact for the Future on practical implementation, national priorities, and concrete results.

The importance of multilateral cooperation based on financing, technology transfer, and equal partnerships for developing countries was emphasized.

He also spoke about Azerbaijan's role as a reliable partner in the fields of energy and transport links.

Speaking at an event organized by the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP) as part of the Forum, Rzayev emphasized the important role of the Commission and the UN Special Programme for the Economies of Central Asia (SPECA) in promoting sustainable development and economic cooperation in the region.

The deputy minister stated that Azerbaijan, as the Chair of the 82nd session of ESCAP, will continue to contribute to these activities and noted that SPECA can support the development of practical cooperation in the areas of transport, trade, digitalization, energy, and innovation.

The deputy minister also spoke at an event entitled "National Sustainable Development Goals: Unexploded Ordnance/Mine Action and Accelerating the Implementation of the 2030 Agenda through International Legal Mechanisms."

He stated that humanitarian demining has been declared the 18th National Sustainable Development Goal in Azerbaijan and spoke about the threats posed by mines in liberated territories in the post-conflict period, as well as the obstacles they pose to reconstruction efforts and the return of internally displaced persons.

During his visit to New York, Rzayev also held meetings with deputy foreign ministers and permanent representatives to the UN of several countries, and took part in roundtable discussions with representatives of research centers.