On October 29, 1991, after regaining its state independence, the Republic of Azerbaijan appealed to the UN General Assembly and world nations and asked to be accepted as a member of the UN.

The Republic of Azerbaijan was admitted to the UN membership on March 2, 1992, and the Permanent Mission of Azerbaijan to the UN was opened on May 6, 1992.

In connection with the escalation of Armenia's aggression against Azerbaijan in the period of 1992-1993, the need for territorial integrity, sovereignty, and inviolability of Azerbaijan's borders was emphasized in 6 statements by the UN Security Council chairman and in the resolutions of the Security Council No. 822, 853, 874 and 884, these documents also demanded the immediate withdrawal of Armenian armed forces from the occupied territories of Azerbaijan, cessation of fire and achievement of a peaceful solution of the conflict.

In 1993, at its 85th plenary meeting the UN General Assembly (GA) adopted the resolution "Emergency international assistance to refugees and internally displaced persons in Azerbaijan" (A/RES/48/114).

In September 1994 President Heydar Aliyev attended the 49th session of the UN General Assembly and, brought to the attention of the world community the truth about Armenia’s aggression against Azerbaijan and the Karabakh conflict from the tribune of this universal international organization.

To expand cooperation between the Republic of Azerbaijan and the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), in 1994, by the Decree of the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Heydar Aliyev, the National Commission of the Republic of Azerbaijan for UNESCO was established.

In October 1995, President Heydar Aliyev participated in the special ceremonial session of the UN General Assembly on the occasion, of the 50th anniversary of this supreme body, and made a speech.

Speaking at the UN Millennium Summit in September 2000, President Heydar Aliyev once again reiterated Azerbaijan's position on the settlement of the Armenian-Azerbaijani conflict.

Speaking at the September 2004 59th session of the UN General Assembly, the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev stated that the 4 resolutions adopted by the UN Security Council regarding the Armenia-Azerbaijan conflict have not been implemented yet and put forward the creation of an effective mechanism for their implementation as a priority.

Azerbaijan chaired the UN Security Council in May 2012 and October 2013. During these two months, the Council held 30 public and private meetings, 29 closed meetings, adopted 7 resolutions and 3 statements of the chairman, made 13 statements for the press.

The most important success of Azerbaijan during its chairmanship of the UN Security Council was the holding on 4 May 2012 of a high-level meeting in the context of the threats posed by terrorism to international peace and security on the theme “Strengthening international cooperation in the implementation of counter-terrorism obligations”. UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon and other high-level representatives of the Security Council took part in the conference chaired by the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev.

On October 28, 2013, the Republic of Azerbaijan held a high-level meeting on the expansion of cooperation between the UN and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation. 
Another proposal of Azerbaijan in this direction was related to the development of relations between the UN and the Cooperation Council of Turkic-Speaking States (Organization of Turkic States).

In September 2017, the 72nd session of the UN General Assembly was held in New York. Speaking at the session, President Ilham Aliyev gave detailed information to the session participants about Armenia's policy of aggression and its consequences.

On September 21, 2020, a high-level meeting dedicated to the 75th anniversary of the UN was held within the framework of the 75th Session of the UN General Assembly. President Ilham Aliyev addressed the meeting in video format as the head of state of Azerbaijan and as the chairman of the Non-Aligned Movement. In his speech, the head of the state emphasized that Azerbaijan began a counter-attack operation against Armenia on its territory in 2020 from September 27, using the right of self-defense enshrined in Article 51 of the UN Charter. During the 44-day war, Azerbaijan liberated the occupied territories. Thus, Azerbaijan itself ensured the implementation of the resolutions of the UN Security Council.

On March 18, 2022, an event dedicated to the 30th anniversary of the partnership between Azerbaijan and the UN was held in the city of Shusha. At the event, discussions were held on 2 panels. The first panel considered the ways to create the favorable platform for reviewing the steps taken towards the Sustainable Development Goals in the Azerbaijan-UN partnership, and in the second panel, issues such as the world after the COVID-19 pandemic, new priorities and opportunities for Azerbaijan in the post-pandemic and post-conflict realities were discussed. In addition, a postage stamp dedicated to the 30th anniversary of Azerbaijan-UN relations was presented.

During the pandemic, Azerbaijan contributed to the activities of the UN by aiding 80 countries through the World Health Organization.

Thereby, the mutual relations that arose with the accession of the Republic of Azerbaijan to the UN membership went through a rapid development path, turned into a multifaceted cooperation and played an important role in the development of Azerbaijan as an independent state and in taking a proper place in the international arena.

Recommended literature:

1. Dadaşova, Ramilə Bəhlul qızı. Beynəlxalq münasibətlərin müasir problemləri və BMT : monoqrafiya / R. B. Dadaşova ; elmi red. H. C. Əlibəyli ; AMEA Fəlsəfə, Sosiologiya və Hüquq İnstitutu. - Bakı : Təknur MMC, 2012. - 184 s.
2. Azərbaycan Respublikasının xarici siyasətinin əsas istiqamətləri : 1991-2016: [məqalələr toplusu] / F. Məmmədov [et al.] ; red.: F. Məmmədov, C. Vəliyev, A. Məmmədov ; Azərbaycan Respublikasının Prezidenti yanında Strateji Araşdırmalar Mərkəzi. - Bakı : Poliart MMC, 2017. - 904 s.
3. Dadaşova, Ramilə Bəhlul qızı. Azərbaycan Respublikasının BMT Təhlükəsizlik Şurasının daimi üzvləri ilə əməkdaşlığı : monoqrafiya / R. B. Dadaşova ; elmi red. M. C. Qasımlı ; AMEA Qafqazşünaslıq İnstitutu. - Bakı : ADMİU, 2021. - 344 s.
4. Аббасбейли, Агалар Нариман оглы. Азербайджан в системе международных и региональных организаций / А. Н. Аббасбейли, А. М. Гасанов. - Баку : Азернешр, 1999. - 256 с.
5. Бабаева-Шекер, Зульфия Гасан гызы. Международные организации : учебное пособие / З. Г. Бабаева-Шекер, Э. Дж. Гаджинский ; Бакинский Государственный Университет. - Баку : АГПУ, 2015. - 328 с.
6. United Nations - Azerbaijan: 25 years of partnership = Birləşmiş Millətlər Təşkilatı - Azərbaycan : tərəfdaşlığın 25 ili / United Nations Office in Azerbaijan. - Baku : w. p., 2017. - 167 p.
7. Azerbaijan in The Family Of The United Nations / The Secretariat of the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan, AzerTaj. - Baku : Nurol, 2000. - 342 p.