President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev received Dmytro Shlapachenko, the newly appointed United Nations Resident Coordinator in Azerbaijan, on September 2.

Axar.az reports that Dmytro Shlapachenko presented his credentials to the head of state.

Touching upon relations between Azerbaijan and the UN, President Ilham Aliyev emphasized that Azerbaijan had hosted large-scale UN events, including COP29 and the World Urban Forum. He added that the Forum on Intercultural Dialogue would also be held this year jointly with the UN Alliance of Civilizations.

Describing Azerbaijan as an important partner of the UN, Dmytro Shlapachenko said that the country hosts prestigious events organized by the UN as a “middle power” state. In this regard, he recalled the organization of COP29 and the World Urban Forum in Baku. Noting that the 4th International Mine Action Conference, themed “Humanitarian Demining for Urban Recovery: Setting Standards of Excellence for Safe Settlements,” is underway in Baku today, he also said that UN Climate Week would be held in Azerbaijan.

Dmytro Shlapachenko highly appreciated Azerbaijan’s support for the activities of relevant UN bodies.

He expressed the UN’s readiness to support Azerbaijan’s current development programs with its expertise, highlighting the importance of the ongoing large-scale reconstruction efforts in the post-conflict areas of Garabagh and East Zangezur.

Touching upon the mine problem, Dmytro Shlapachenko said that the UN is ready to provide support and share its expertise with Azerbaijan in this area.

The head of state also highlighted the ongoing large-scale restoration and construction efforts in Azerbaijan’s liberated territories and noted the scale of the mine problem faced by the country. President Ilham Aliyev underlined that, despite the obstacles posed by mines to restoration and construction efforts, Azerbaijan continues its consistent demining activities.

Dmytro Shlapachenko stated that he would soon visit Garabagh and noted that a major event would be held at Garabagh University to mark United Nations Day.

The meeting also included discussions on environmental issues, including improving the ecological condition of transboundary rivers in the South Caucasus region, conducting monitoring in this area, and the decline in the water level of the Caspian Sea.