BAKU, Azerbaijan, October 1. The signing of the Joint Declaration in Washington on August 8, 2025, and the initialing of the peace agreement demonstrated that, after decades of conflict, it is possible to build trust, said Khalaf Khalafov, Special Representative of the President of Azerbaijan, at the CICA Media Forum on the “Building Trust Through the Media in a Polarized World,” on Thursday, Trend’s correspondent reports from the event.
He noted that the system of international relations is currently undergoing a profound transformation. Rising geopolitical tensions and violations of fundamental principles of international law, including sovereignty and territorial integrity, are seriously straining the global security system.
Khalaf Khalafov noted that in addition to terrorism, separatism, extremism, cyber threats, and disinformation, risks related to food, energy, water, and climate security are also global in nature.
“At present, joint efforts aimed at strengthening mutual trust among states, the peaceful resolution of conflicts based on international law, and the cessation of bloody wars ongoing in various regions of the world serve as extremely important goals,” Khalafov said.
He emphasized the need to take joint steps, based on the central role of the UN, to prevent threats aimed at violating the norms and principles of the world order and international law.
“International law remains the only reliable guarantee for establishing and developing a just world order,” Khalaf Khalafov stated.
The presidential representative noted that Azerbaijan had suffered the serious consequences of Armenia’s military aggression for more than 30 years but had restored the country’s territorial integrity and sovereignty based on the norms and principles of international law.
According to him, Azerbaijan thereby ensured compliance with the UN Security Council resolutions on the military conflict.
Khalaf Khalafov noted that, following the Second Karabakh War, the President of Azerbaijan, Ilham Aliyev, proposed to the Republic of Armenia that a lasting peace be established in the region and took all practical steps to advance the peace process.
“Today, it is extremely important that the Republic of Armenia and the Armenian people properly assess their responsibility for this history and take all necessary steps to establish peace based on legal obligations,” he added.
Khalafov noted that CICA is an important platform that promotes open dialogue in Asia based on the principles of consensus and the sovereign equality of states, and that strengthens trust among countries and fosters multilateral cooperation.
He noted that during its chairmanship of CICA, Azerbaijan made a significant contribution to human capacity development, the transformation of the forum into an international organization, and the expansion of sectoral cooperation, as well as to strengthening trust and cooperation within the CICA region.
Khalaf Khalafov noted that during his chairmanship, the CICA Women’s Council and the CICA Finance Committee were established, and a partnership network of leading universities from CICA member states began operating.
According to him, discussions were held on the updated draft text of the CICA Charter, and high-level consultations are continuing as part of the organization’s transformation into an international body.
The Special Representative of the President of Azerbaijan noted that during this period, large-scale events were held in the areas of economic cooperation, climate and water security, empowering women and youth, education, media, tourism, transportation, logistics, and analytical dialogue.
“These events have created the conditions for fostering a more dynamic, inclusive, and results-oriented environment for cooperation within the CICA framework,” said Khalaf Khalafov.
He emphasized that Azerbaijan will continue its efforts to strengthen mutual trust and multilateral cooperation within the CICA framework.
Khalaf Khalafov noted that the 7th CICA Summit will take place on October 15 in Baku.
“I am confident that today’s discussions will enrich our common agenda with new ideas ahead of the summit and will also contribute to further strengthening relations between media organizations of member states,” he said.
