Speech on Fourth session of Steering Group of CIS Conference
Geneva (24-25 June 1999)

By Mr. Ali Hasanov, Deputy Prime Minister of Azerbaijan Republic, Chairman of the State Committee for Refugees and Internally Displaced Persons

Dear Chairman! Distinguished ladies and gentlemen!

First of all let me express our sincere thanks and gratitude for the invitation to participate in the session of the Steering Group and on behalf of people of Azerbaijan and our government to convey to the participants the cordial greetings and the best wishes for the reaching the benevolent goals of the session.

I am exceedingly pleased to take part in the work of such a supreme forum and to continue the important mission which has been carried out by the representatives of our republic from the moment of preparation, discussion and adoption of important documents of the Conference on the Newly Independent States and correspondent neighboring countries - in May 31-st 1999 in Geneva.

Three years have passed since the adoption of "Program of Action". To our mind one can already analyze and evaluate the work carried out on implementation of The Program of Action and discuss its future perspectives. The issue of the Refugees and lops is one of the most important for my country. Hundred thousands people are subject to innumerable sufferings because of the dragged out conflict. I would like to briefly inform you about the present miserable situation of the refugees and lops, their difficult social and economical problems, and the measures, taken by the Azeri government towards the easing of their suffering. The ethnic cleansing of Azeris in Armenia at the end of 1987- beginning of 1988 and later the aggression from the Armenian side, occupation of 20% of the territory of Azerbaijan have resulted in 1000000 refugees and lops. Over the last 7 years there are 120 thousand people - lops who live in the tents, 40 thousands assembled houses, 60 thousands in dug-outs, 10 thousand in railway carriages and the rest are settled in public, unfinished buildings and in those ones which are not even remotely suitable for living. All these people are living only because they only cherish one hope - safe - return to their homeland. Apart from that there are still 2368 families - refugees from Armenia, who are left without refuge. 8 thousand families - perished in this unleashed war, 6 thousand families became invalid because of war and 5000 children, who became orphans, are living in terrible conditions. According to the research, conducted by the World Bank more than 80 % of the population of Azerbaijan is living under the poverty level. In general, there are more than 3,5 million people who belong to different vulnerable groups.

We think, that there is no point to explain, that our republic is unable to solve the problems of refugees and lops alone, when all the economic relationships with former Soviet republics are destroyed, most of the factories are out of action, and agricultural reforms are not folly completed yet. The difficulties are also explained by the fact that these processes are carried out under the conditions of the grave economic crisis due to the lack of funds.

In this difficult situation the leadership of Azerbaijan, headed by the president Geydar Aliyev is continuing to take measures in order to improve the situation.

There is a decree of the president on the establishment of the Republican Commission on international humanitarian assistance whose purpose is to effectively co-ordinate the rendering of humanitarian assistance by International NGO.

Today, there are more than 60 International humanitarian organizations, implementing various programs in Azerbaijan. The situation in Azerbaijan would had been explosive if there were not the International NGO with their assistance. I express our sincere gratitude to all donors and organizations for their assistance and support. At the same time I would like to draw your attention to the fact, that there is a dangerous tendency towards the reduction of Humanitarian assistance to Azerbaijan. For ex. in 1995 Azerbaijan had received the assistance on the amount of90 million dollars and in 1998 it was only 40 million. The quantity of the products to be given to the lops has reduced from 17-20 kg to 5-7 kg per person. This is happening at that moment, when humanitarian aid is the only source, that allows the refugees and lops to survive.

We understand of course, that the considerable reduction of funds given by the donors is connected with certain reasons, with new conflicts on our planet. But we would like to ask you to take into consideration the particular situation of Azerbaijan. There is no other country in this world, where every 7-th citizen of the country is either refugee or lops, and 20 % of the territory is under the occupation. All this is happening during the deepest economic crisis. The Armenian false propaganda abroad says, that Azerbaijan has already been receiving large profits form its oil export and this country does not need humanitarian aid anymore.

I would like to inform you, that according to the oil contracts, Azerbaijan will receive first income out of the export of its oil only in 2005, provided that all the conditions of the contract are successfully implemented. According to the assessment of the experts of various international organizations, including UN, during the next coming couple years, Azerbaijan will be fully depending on external assistance.

In our republic there has been established the State Commission on the Reconstruction and Rehabilitation of the liberated lands. The rehabilitation works are successfully being carried out in the freed parts of Fizuly and Aghdam regions and in close co-operation together with International NGO, World Bank and European Community. For the complex implementation of this process and repatriating people to their native lands, the Cabinet of Ministers has established the Department on Repatriation under the auspices of State committee on refugees and lops.

Today, more than 60000 lop have returned to their rehabilitated houses in those two regions.

The president of Azerbaijan has confirmed the State Program on solution of the refugee and lops problems, where such issues, as the regulation of refugee and lops rights, migration, rehabilitation, repatriation, social defense, informing the world society on the needs of refugees and lops, improving the activities and structures of State bodies dealing with these problems.

Due to the State Program and co-operation with UNHCR the tangible moves in the legal sphere has been made, directed to the creation of legal basis. The Parliament of Azerbaijan has adjusted "The law on the status of refugees and lops according to the Convention of 1951 and Protocol of 1967. "The law on Social Protection of refugees and lops has been adopted in the third reading.

The geopolitical situation of the country, demographic and social-economical changes in the life of our republic require a special approach in the elaboration of corresponding laws. According to these requirements the "Law on the Citizenship" (October 1998), "Law on Immigration" (March, 1999*have come into force.

"The law on labor migration" has been elaborated and presented to the Parliament.

With the purpose of applying the international standards in the migration management, jointly with International Organization of Migration the government of Azerbaijan is working towards the Creation of Potentials in the Migration Management. The Unified State Program on Migration Management has already been prepared. With the purpose of improving the activities of the State bodies, who deal with refugee and lops problems, the president of Azerbaijan has created the position of Deputy Prime Minister - the Chairman of the State Committee on refugees and IDPs. The decree of the president of Azerbaijan Mr. Aliev says, that Deputy Prime Minister - the Chairman of the State Committee on refugees and IDPs is simultaneously appointed to be the Chairman of the State Commission on international humanitarian aid. There are structural changes in the Cabinet of Ministers, where the new department on refugees, IDPs, migration and the work with humanitarian organizations has been established.

At present, jointly with the UNO and UNHCR the program on the development of material and technical bases and rising the professionalism of the employees of these structures. We highly estimate the role of UNHCR in Azerbaijan. There are close partnership relations between UNHCR and the government of Azerbaijan. On the 5-th of May 1999, there had been held a seminar on "From the humanitarian assistance towards development", with the participation of the representatives of donor countries, International NGO, National NGO, ambassadors etc. The mentioned seminar was arranged jointly by Azerbaijan Government and UNHCR.

The existing problems in humanitarian sphere have been discussed, the shortcomings in the work of corresponding government structures have been revealed and the ways of solution and co-operation have been discussed as well.

The government of Azerbaijan has announced about its readiness for the further co-operation with all international organizations.

I have recounted all these moments with only one purpose - to convince donors and International humanitarian organizations, that all the questions, concerning refugees and IDPs are under the attention of the government and you can be sure, that all humanitarian aid, rendered to Azerbaijan, will never go astray.

Despite the lack offends, the government of Azerbaijan has increased twice the allowance to the lops. The lops families have received plots of land for temporary usage. But the lack of funds does not allow them to use these lands and to provide their families with agricultural products.

We encounter severe difficulties in creation of the working places in industrial and agricultural sector.

The government of Azerbaijan has signed jointly with the UNDP representatives, UNHCR and World Bank the Memorandum on Program of Action, where the major aspects of mutual joint work of the International humanitarian organizations and the government of Azerbaijan in solving the social problems of refugee and lops have been underlined. The conditions of Memorandum provide the timeliness of the measures, directed towards the solving the questions. The main priority in this direction is to gradually transfer from food assistance towards development program. In order to reach this goal, for the first time in our republic and by the proposal of World Bank we have created the Social Development Fund for IDPs, the main activity principles of which will be join leadership and transparency of decision making and joint control of their implementation.

Dear ladies and gentlemen!

I would like to draw your attention to some questions, which disturb us and need your assistance and support. The war, continuing occupation of 17 000 square km of fertile land by Armenians has severely shaken not only refugees and IDPs, but also badly affected on the prosperity of the main population of our republic.

This military aggression has led to the destruction and robbing of 800 cities and villages, 7000 industrial and agricultural objects, 700 schools, 270 hospitals, 160 bridges, 800 km of roads, 2300 square km of water and 15000 square km of electrical lines and 200 000 of cattle

had been stolen out. Before the conflict, approximately 35-40% of agricultural products we used to produce on the territory, which are occupied now.

In general, according to experts' estimate, the economy of Azerbaijan has been damaged to the amount of60 billion USD. The losses of235 thousand Azeri-refugees from Armenia consist of3 billion USD. We consider, that Armenia carries a direct responsibility and it must fully reimburse material and moral damage to refugees and IDPs. In this connection we find it expedient, to prepare and adopt the correspondent documents by International organizations in order to pre vent such actions in future.

The practice shows, that the item of Principles of the Program of Action, regarding responsibility of each state for the problems of internal displacement on their own territory - does not affect the solution of the problem.

We are strongly convinced, that only political settlement of the conflicts in CIS countries could be the most important condition of implementation of the Program of Action, it could guarantee peace and stability in the region and returning of the refugee and IDPs to their homeland. We suggest that this principle should be included to the final documents of Working Group sessions and taking the opportunity we appeal to Armenia once again to settle the conflict in peaceful manner and soon, leave the occupied territories and let refugees and IDPs go back to their homelands, according to the Resolutions of UN Security Council # 822, 853, 874, 884 of 1993. I have already pointed out the tendency of reduction of the humanitarian aid to Azerbaijan. The difficult humanitarian situation, created as a result of the aggression against Azerbaijan does not tally with situations in other countries and this fact makes us to persistently ask donors to increase the humanitarian aid to our republic and within the frames of International aid to provide Azerbaijan a separate column. When providing the humanitarian assistance, it is necessary to compare the number of refugees and IDPs with the total number of population of the country. We consider it expedient, that in future UNHCR could have a separate address to donors, concerning to Azerbaijan. We are ready to cooperate with them, with the purpose of attraction the attention of the donors.

Mr. Chairman!

We also have some remarks on making report of The Steering Group in 1999 within the measures, followed by the Regional Conference on refugees and lops in CIS countries.

In the section, that belongs to Azerbaijan, differing from the other republics, the reasons and the sources of the presence of refugees and lops on the territory of our republic are not shown, and also, the position of Azerbaijan regarding the solution of the problems of lops within the country, despite their political views. We are ready to submit to the Secretariat of the Steering Group the necessary materials and we ask you to make the necessary amendments to the section.

Dear ladies and gentlemen!

Today we can surely say, that at present the process of work of the Conference on CIS has reached the definite progress in many questions. The experience of this Conference needs critical analysis and new approach. We consider, that there is much to be done and the role of UNHCR and other UN bodies, which have huge potentials and are the centers of humanitarian co-operation, will be more noticeable. In conclusion, expressing the common opinion of refugees and lops we hope and believe that the work of the current session and the decisions made on it, will positively affect the solution of the problems of the region in future and rendering the assistance to refugees and lops by the International organizations.

Thank you for attention.