Statement by H.E. Mr. Jeyhun Bayramov, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Azerbaijan at the Ukraine Recovery Conference, London, 21-22 June, 2023

Excellencies,

Distinguished Delegates,

Ladies and Gentlemen,

I wish to start by expressing gratitude to the organizers of this important conference.

Azerbaijan deeply regrets that the current crisis in Ukraine continues to undermine peace and security in Europe, causing serious humanitarian sufferings. Azerbaijan stands for earliest settlement on the basis of sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine. The dire humanitarian consequences of the crisis require expedient measures to alleviate the suffering of civilians.

Our first humanitarian cargo of medicines and other medical items reached Ukraine on 27 February 2022, followed by a number of humanitarian aid batches, mostly consisting of medicaments and food. Most recent aid, including water pipes, water pumps, life jackets, inflatable boats, wading overalls and relevant items was delivered to Ukraine on 10 June 2023. So far, the volume of Azerbaijan’s humanitarian aid to Ukraine exceeds one thousand tons and 20 million US dollars.

From our own painful experience of early 1990s we know that children are one of the most vulnerable society segments, and they need more protection and special care during wars and armed conflicts. In this regard, my country provided one hundred children from Ukraine with fully covered medical and social-psychological rehabilitation services in Azerbaijan. We are planning to double this number by the end of the year. As a responsible member of international community, Azerbaijan will continue to provide humanitarian assistance to the people of Ukraine with the aim of alleviating civilian population sufferings.

Azerbaijan has a first-hand experience in post-conflict recovery and reconstruction. Following the liberation of its territories from the decades-long Armenian aggression, Azerbaijan has embarked upon an unprecedented scale of reconstruction activities in its territories affected by the former conflict. The major impediment here is massive contamination of those territories with landmines by Armenia, which refuses to provide accurate maps of minefields and continues to plant mines in the sovereign territories of Azerbaijan. In spite of our difficulties, Azerbaijan will soon provide to Ukraine a demining machine, to be used for humanitarian demining purposes.

Azerbaijan’s post-conflict reconstruction experience is a best practice worth to be shared with other countries, including Ukraine. Our support to Ukraine in this area has already started with full reconstruction of the school in the city of Irpin in 2022.

Today I would like to announce that Azerbaijan is planning to contribute further to the recovery and reconstruction efforts in Ukraine, in particular through supply of electric equipment and implementation of reconstruction projects in the city of Irpin. The total sum of this aid will be no less than 10 million US dollars.

 Thank you.