SF Gate, San Francisco
Aug 19 2020
Author: Tatoyan Vazgen
Developing distance education in Armenia
Emerging Europe
Aug 18 2020
Jeyhun Bayramov: ‘Armenia Continues To Disregard UN Security Council Resolutions’ – OpEd
Eurasia Review
Aug 11 2020
By Peter Tase
On July 28, 2020, Report News Agency of Azerbaijan, published a note about the speech delivered by the newly appointed Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Azerbaijan Mr. Jeyhun Bayramov, delivered at the webinar on “Leveraging the Effects of the Pandemic Towards Regional Cooperation in Asia”
The following is the statement made by Minister Jeyhun Bayramov:
“Before we start our discussions, I would like to reiterate my sincere condolences to the esteemed Turkish side on the occasion of the death of Turkish soldiers in the road accident, which took place in the Mersin province yesterday. Our prayers and sympathies are with their families. And we wish the soonest recovery to those injured in the accident. Please accept my appreciation for the kind invitation extended by my esteemed colleague, Minister Çavuşoğlu. Thank the Antalya Diplomacy Forum and Rajaratnam School of International Studies for organizing this webinar. I believe that it will yield fruitful discussions on leveraging the effects of a pandemic. This event will also be a good opportunity to provide an insight into how the Republic of Azerbaijan is tackling the COVID-19 pandemic since its emergence.”
In his emblematic statement, Minister Jeyhun Bayramov, emphasized:
“The COVID-19 pandemic brought a number of unparalleled challenges and disruptions that required a worldwide effort to protect public health. Countries have taken reinforcement measures on containment, prevention, and response to the pandemic’s spread under the leadership of their respective heads of state and government. Azerbaijan plays an active role in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic at both domestic and multilateral levels. So far Azerbaijan provided voluntary financial assistance to the World Health Organization. These funds are intended for those most in need of assistance from the regional groups of Africa, Latin America, and Asia. Azerbaijan also provided assistance in the form of medical supplies and equipment to individual countries. I would also like to mention the steps taken by Azerbaijan at the domestic level. In February, an operational headquarters was created under the Cabinet of Ministers to prevent the spread of new coronavirus infection in the territory of the Republic of Azerbaijan. Since early March, education in all institutions was suspended. All mass events were postponed or canceled. Since the end of March, a quarantine regime has been in effect. It includes a series of measures of social isolation and restrictions. The evacuation of our citizens from abroad has been one of the priorities during the pandemic period.”
The effective participation of the Republic of Azerbaijan in the Turkic Council has been fundamental and delivered concrete economic results in the region. Minister Jeyhun Bayramov stressed the importance of the Turkic Council: “I would especially like to emphasize Azerbaijan’s active role in the framework of the Turkic Council. Azerbaijan assumed the Turkic Council’s Chairmanship on October 15th, 2019, during the 7th Summit held in Baku, to further strengthen cooperation and concerted efforts in attaining the goals and objectives of the Turkic Speaking World. Taking into account the global uncertainty caused by the pandemic as well as its repercussions, the Member States and Hungary, as the observer state, have sought a unified action in overcoming the challenges and stressed cooperation in the framework of the Turkic Council. The Extraordinary Summit of the Turkic Council was held through a videoconference on April 10th, 2020, on the theme of “Solidarity and Cooperation in the fight against COVID-19 pandemic” with the initiative of the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan, H.E. Mr. Ilham Aliyev. I should stress that the Summit is the first to be held on the level of the Heads of State in tackling the pandemic.
During the Extraordinary Summit, the Heads of State emphasized their determination to expand the cooperation in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as demonstrating a firm stance in seeking solidarity for the sake of common well-being, exchange of experiences and uniting their efforts by fully mobilizing scientific, innovative, technological and medical potential.
The Heads of State of the Turkic Council agreed to establish a consultation and cooperation mechanism among their respective national crisis centers, which includes the close interaction among the ministries of health of the Member States, to share best practices, assisting each other on substantive aspects regarding the COVID-19 pandemic. Following the instructions of the Heads of States during the Extraordinary Summit Azerbaijan – as the Chairman-in-Office of the Turkic Council – successfully organized the videoconferences of the Ministers of Health, Ministers of Transport, Ministers of Economy and Heads of Customs Administrations, Heads of the Migration Services, Health Coordination Committee, Ministers in Charge of Tourism and Health Scientific Group. These conferences proved to be effective consultation mechanisms on finding the remedies, mobilizing efforts, exploring the socio-economic effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, and the diagnosis and treatment of dangerous infections.”
Another important milestone and historic accomplishment of the Foreign Policy of Azerbaijan, under the leadership of the President H. E. Mr. Ilham Aliyev, is the Summit of the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) in the format of Contact Group; Minister Jeyhun Bayramov elaborated further on the multilateral diplomacy of Azerbaijan conducted diligently within the framework of NAM format: “I believe the continuation of Azerbaijan’s efforts on the multinational level is worthy of mention. One such instance is the Summit of the Non-Aligned Movement in the format of Contact Group, which was held on May 4, 2020, with the initiative of the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan, H.E. Mr. Ilham Aliyev. President Aliyev, in his capacity as the Chair of the Non-Aligned Movement, proposed to convene a special session of the United Nations General Assembly in response to COVID-19, via videoconference, at the level of the Heads of State and Government, which received absolute majority support from the Member States. I should underline that this proposal is also significant. It highlights the central position of the United Nations system, as well as the role of the General Assembly, as the chief deliberative, policymaking and representative organ in mobilizing urgent actions to fight the pandemic and address its socio-economic impacts effectively.”
The decades long brutal armed aggression of Armenian Government and of the Armenian Armed Forces against the sovereign territory of Azerbaijan and its repeated attacks against the innocent civilians and territories of Azerbaijan, was the main topic of Minister Bayramov’s closing statement: “Azerbaijan continues to suffer from Armenia’s aggression, as a result of which approximately 20 percent of the Azerbaijani territories are under occupation. More than a million Azerbaijanis were forced to leave their historical lands and became refugees or internally displaced persons. The four U.N. Security Council resolutions demanded an immediate, unconditional, and full withdrawal of Armenian armed forces from Azerbaijan’s occupied territories. However, Armenia continues to disregard these resolutions and other documents of international organizations demanding to cease its occupation and aggression. While the entire world is mobilized to fight COVID-19 pandemic, Armenia resorts to provocation and diversion attempts to escalate tension. On July 12th, 2020, Armenia’s armed forces flagrantly violated the ceasefire and used artillery to fire on the positions of Azerbaijan’s armed forces in the Tovuz district, along the state border between Armenia and Azerbaijan. As a result of the attacks, 12 service members, including one major general, of the Azerbaijani armed forces and 1 civilian, have been martyred.
Such military recklessness on the part of Armenia pursues an objective of undermining the peace talks and continuing the occupation and aggression against Azerbaijan. By doing so, Armenia’s leadership aims to escalate the situation, against the backdrop of socio-economic problems deteriorated further by the widespread of COVID-19 pandemic in Armenia, caused by its incompetent performance, and distract attention from the domestic issues in the country. The international response toward the provocation has also been overwhelming. Leading global organizations such as the Cooperation Council of Turkic Speaking States and Organization of Islamic Cooperation released statements. At the same time, the Coordinating Bureau of the Non-Aligned Movement, with the support of its 120 Member States, adopted a communique strongly condemning the attack by the armed forces of Armenia. We want to express our immense gratitude to brotherly Turkey for demonstrating resolute solidarity in this time of need.”
Sources: https://mfa.gov.az/en/news/6786/view
https://report.az/en/foreign-politics/the-heads-of-state-of-the-turkic-council-agreed-to-establish-a-consultation-and-cooperation-mechanism-among-their-respective-national-crisis-centers/
Secretary-General of Commonwealth of Nations invited to Armenian Summit of Minds
18:24,
YEREVAN, AUGUST 14, ARMENPRESS. President of Armenia Armen Sarkissian has sent a letter to Secretary-General of Commonwealth of Nations Baroness Patricia Scotland. As ARMENPRESS was informed from the press service of the President’s Office, President Sarkissian referred to the ‘’Armenian Summit of Minds’’ and ATOM (Advanced Tomorrow) presidential initiative, noting that that they are aimed at fostering technological and humanitarian development at an international level and can become an representational platform for new and unusual ideas and concepts.
The President invited Patricia Scotland to participate in the “Armenian Summit of Mind’’, scheduled on October 10-11 and will be dedicated to geopolitics and artificial intelligence. Emphasizing the great feedback from last year’s Summit, President Sarkissian hoped it will be a success this year as well.
Among the presidential initiatives aimed at the development of science, technologies and artificial intelligence, President Sarkissian referred to ATOM program, noting that it has already gained interest among global giant technological companies and preliminary cooperation agreements will be signed in the near future with some of them.
At the end of the letter President Sarkissian presented details about the Azerbaijani attacks against Armenia in the recent period, emphasizing that Azerbaijan violated universal values attempting to solve its short-term tasks in a period when the entire world has consolidated against the pandemic.
The Commonwealth of Nations, generally known simply as the Commonwealth, is a political association of 54 member states, nearly all former territories of the British Empire.
Editing and translated by Tigran Sirekanyan
UEFA Europa League qualifier draws reveal competition facing Armenian clubs
15:39,
YEREVAN, AUGUST 10, ARMENPRESS. The UEFA Europa League draws in the Swiss town of Nyon have revealed the competitors that Armenian clubs face in the 2020/21 season’s qualifier.
Yerevan’s Noah FC will compete with the Kairat Almaty FC, with the Kazakh team hosting the first match.
Yerevan’s Alashkert FC will face the Macedonian KF Renova, and Gyumri’s Shirak SC will play against FCSB (ROU) with the latter slated for August 27 in Bucharest.
Editing and Translating by Stepan Kocharyan
Second plane with humanitarian aid from Armenia lands in Beirut
Public Radio of Armenia
Aug 9 2020
RFE/RL Armenian Report – 08/05/2020
Wednesday, August 5, 2020
Government To Again Extend Coronavirus State Of Emergency
Armenia -- Masked police officers patrol streets of Yerevan, May 25, 2020.
The government announced on Wednesday that it will extend a state of emergency
by another month next week to continue containing the spread of the coronavirus
in Armenia.
Deputy Prime Minister Tigran Avinian said the government will at the same time
fully or partly lift its ban on public gatherings and make it easier for foreign
nationals to enter the country. He also reaffirmed its plans to reopen all
schools and universities in time for the start of the new academic year.
“We have already devised various models of how to reopen public education
institutions depending on the epidemiological situation,” Avinian told a joint
news briefing with Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian. “We will present a final
program by August 10.”
“Such program-based models have also been devised for other spheres,” he added
in an apparent reference to libraries, museums and theaters which were also shut
down in March.
The decision to again prolong the state of emergency comes despite a major
decrease in coronavirus infections reported by the health authorities for the
last two weeks. Pashinian said that that the epidemiological situation in
Armenia is improving but remains “serious.”
Pashinian said he is worried that the falling daily number of new cases may be
making Armenians more complacent about COVID-19. The authorities should
therefore continue strictly enforcing social distancing and other rules aimed at
containing the epidemic, he said.
Pashinian’s government declared the state of emergency on March 16 shortly after
registering the first coronavirus cases. Emergency rule has been extended on a
monthly basis since April. It allows the authorities to ban all rallies, enforce
social distancing and hygiene rules, ban or restrict some types of business
activity and impose local or nationwide lockdowns.
The government kept the state of emergency in place even after lifting lockdown
restrictions and reopening virtually all sectors of the Armenian economy in
early May.
The monthly extensions of the state of emergency are increasingly criticized by
opposition groups. Some of them claim that Pashinian is exploiting the
coronavirus crisis to ward off anti-government street protests.
Edmon Marukian, the leader of the opposition Bright Armenia Party, was quick to
condemn the latest extension announced by Avinian. He said that the government
does not need emergency powers to enforce its anti-epidemic rules.
Last COVID-19 Patients Discharged From Some Armenian Hospitals
• Gayane Saribekian
Armenia -- Medics look after a COVID-19 patient at the Nork Hospital for
Infectious Diseases, Yerevan, June 5, 2020.
Five Armenian hospitals have stopped treating people infected with the
coronavirus because of a significant decrease in new cases in the country, the
Ministry of Health said on Wednesday.
The ministry reported in the morning that 288 more people have tested positive
for COVID-19 in the past day, down from an average of 550-600 cases a day
registered in the first half of July.
It also reported only two more deaths caused by COVID-19. They raised the
official death toll to 770. The figure does not include the deaths of 228 other
Armenians infected with the virus. The health authorities say that they were
primarily caused by other, pre-existing diseases.
The daily number of officially registered fatalities averaged approximately 15
from July 6 through July 24.
The latest government data also shows that the daily number of people recovering
from COVID-19 continued to surpass that of new infections on Tuesday, cutting
the number of active coronavirus cases to 7,738. The vast majority of the
infected citizens remain self-isolated at home.
Armenia - An ambulance rescuer wearing a protective face mask and personal
protective equipment moves a patient into the Grigor Lusavorich Medical Center
in Yerevan on May 27, 2020.
According to a Ministry of Health spokeswoman, Lilit Babakhanian, the nationwide
number of hospitalized patients in a critical or serious condition fell from
around 650 in mid-July to 368 on Wednesday morning.
“There are already five hospitals that no longer treat COVID-19 patients,”
Babakhanian told RFE/RL’s Armenian service. Two of them are located in Yerevan
while the three others in the towns of Vanadzor, Dilijan and Vedi, she said.
Health Minister Arsen Torosian announced later on Wednesday two more hospitals
will discharge their last COVID-19 patients in the coming days. Thirteen other
medical centers will continue to deal with the coronavirus, Torosian told a news
briefing.
Like Torosian, Nune Bakunts, the deputy director of the ministry’s National
Center for Disease Control and Prevention, insisted that the coronavirus crisis
in Armenia has been on a downward trend in recent weeks.
Bakunts attributed that to people’s and businesses’ increased compliance with
anti-epidemic rules set by the government. “We can say that measures taken by us
are bearing fruit,” she said.
Wearing a mask or a cloth covering mouth and nose not only in enclosed spaces
but also in the streets and all other public areas has been mandatory in Armenia
since the beginning of June. Thousands of people have been fined for defying
this requirement.
Armenia -- Armenian Red Cross volunteers hand out face masks to people in
Yerevan, July 6, 2020.
The government also claims to have stepped up since then the enforcement of its
social distancing and hygiene rules set for various businesses. It reopened
virtually all sectors of the Armenian economy in early May.
Echoing statements by Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian, Bakunts stressed that
continued compliance with the government rules will be essential for further
reducing the country’s coronavirus infection rates, which have been one of the
highest in the world.
Pashinian expressed hope last week that Armenia will largely overcome its
coronavirus crisis already in September. Deputy Prime Minister Tigran Avinian
announced, for his part, that the government is now considering reopening soon
schools, universities, libraries, museums and theaters shut down in March.
Bakunts was confident that their possible reopening would be regulated by strict
safety protocols. She said this should “neutralize or minimize” the risk of a
virus resurgence.
Armenia Offers Aid To Lebanon After Beirut Explosion
LEBANON -- A drone picture shows the scene of an explosion that hit the seaport
of Beirut, August 5, 2020.
Armenia expressed readiness on Wednesday to send humanitarian aid to Lebanon
following a massive explosion in Beirut which killed at least 100 people,
including several ethnic Armenians, and injured thousands of others.
Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian communicated the offer to Lebanese President
Michel Aoun in a phone call reported by his office.
Pashinian expressed shock late on Tuesday over the explosion at Beirut port
warehouses that sent a devastating blast wave across the Lebanese capital. “We
extend out solidarity and support to the brotherly people of Lebanon,” he wrote
on his Twitter page.
“Armenia is ready to urgently provide assistance to Lebanon and its people,”
Foreign Minister Zohrab Mnatsakanian tweeted the following morning. “Beirut
glory will definitely be restored.”
The Armenian Foreign Ministry announced separately that it has set up a working
group that will “coordinate the provision of targeted assistance to Lebanon with
a Lebanese crisis agency.”
“The Armenian Embassy in Lebanon is in constant touch with relevant Lebanese
bodies to jointly assess the needs of the Lebanese side and the scope of
assistance,” said the ministry spokeswoman, Anna Naghdalian.
Lebanon -- A view of the partially destroyed Beirut neighbourhood of Mar Mikhael
on August 5, 2020 in the aftermath of a massive explosion.
Naghdalian added that the embassy is also assessing the needs of Lebanon’s
sizable and influential Armenian community. According to her, at least six
Lebanese Armenians were killed and around 100 others injured by the blast which
Lebanese leaders say was likely caused by highly explosive material stored at
port warehouses.
Naghdalian reported earlier on Wednesday that the blast caused “large-scale
devastation” in Beirut’s Armenian-populated neighborhoods. It reportedly damaged
the main local cathedral of the Armenian Apostolic Church.
Armenia’s President Armen Sarkissian telephoned the Lebanese-based Catholicos
Aram I, the number two figure in the church’s worldwide hierarchy, to inquire
about the damage and the plight of the Lebanese-Armenian community. Sarkissian
“expressed readiness to help” the community, according to the presidential press
office.
Reprinted on ANN/Armenian News with permission from RFE/RL
Copyright (c) 2020 Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty, Inc.
1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036.
Guatemala’s Congress committee adopts resolution on Armenia-Azerbaijan border situation
17:00,
YEREVAN, JULY 29, ARMENPRESS. The Foreign Affairs Committee of the Congress of Guatemala on July 28 adopted a resolution over the recent escalation on the Armenia-Azerbaijan border.
The resolution states in particular: “The Committee received information about the situation faced by the civilian population of Armenia’s Tavush province bordering Azerbaijan, in particular Chinari, Movses and Aygepar villages, where the shelling damaged residential houses and civilian infrastructures, causing fear among the residents.
We know that this escalation has started from the 90s between Nagorno Karabakh, Azerbaijan and Armenia, over which the UN Security Council adopted resolutions urging to end the military operations and launch negotiations for establishing peace.
Our society has faced the heavy experience of an internal armed conflict which lasted for over 36 years, which left many human losses, wounded, disabled people and greatly damaged our private and public infrastructures”, the resolution states.
“We call on the parliaments of Armenia and Azerbaijan for a dialogue and _expression_ of will for the sake of peaceful talks in their respective countries”, the document adds. “The recent events oblige us to demand to immediately stop the fire, war and hostile actions against the civilian population living in the aforementioned zone and the villages, as well as to cancel any joint military action or step with any state of the region which can endanger the peace and harmony in that important region of the world”.
A unanimous decision was made to send the resolution to the foreign affairs committees of the parliaments of Armenia and Azerbaijan, as well as submit it for the approval by the Congress plenary session.
Editing and Translating by Aneta Harutyunyan
Artsakh Committed to Ceasefire, But Ready to Defend its Sovereignty
July 27, 2020
Artsakh soldiers in the trenches on the Artsakh-Azerbaijan border
On July 26 and 27, 1994, the Republic of Artsakh, Azerbaijan and Armenia, with the mediation of the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairmen, signed a document, in which they confirmed their strong determination to continue to fulfill their commitment under the ceasefire agreement, which ended the Artsakh War on May 12, 1994.
This trilateral document, as well as the agreement of May 12, 1994 and the agreement of February 6, 1995 on strengthening the ceasefire created the required conditions for finding a settlement to the Azerbaijan-Karabakh conflict through negotiations, and they serve as a basis for the peace process so far.
“Being the key elements of the process of not only settlement of the Azerbaijan-Karabakh conflict, but also for ensuring regional security in the South Caucasus as a whole, these agreements are the best evidence of the efficiency of the trilateral negotiation format, within which they became possible,” Artsakh’s Foreign Ministry said in a statement on Monday.
“Unfortunately, we periodically witness attempts by Azerbaijan to relinquish its commitments to maintain peace in the region and to endow itself with an imaginary right to unleash war, as well as to undermine the agreements that serve as the basis for the peaceful settlement process. However, such attempts always have been met with a sharp negative reaction from the international community,” added the ministry.
“In 2016, in response to the situation that arose as a result of a new war unleashed by Azerbaijan against Artsakh and the attempts by official Baku to denounce the Agreement on the full cessation of fire and hostilities of May 12, 1994, the OSCE Minsk Group co-chairing states – Russia, the United States and France—as well as the Secretary General of the United Nations, the OCSE Chairperson-in-Office and the Secretary General of the Council of Europe called for the strict adherence to the commitments to maintain the ceasefire, thereby recognizing the binding nature of the aforementioned agreements of 1994-1995,” explained the Artsakh Foreign Ministry.
Against the backdrop of Azerbaijan’s direct armed aggression unleashed on the Tavush section of the Armenian-Azerbaijani border on July 12, 2020 and the subsequent targeted escalation of the situation, Artsakh’s Foreign Ministry stressed the need for the international community to take practical measures to ensure the irreversibility of the peace process and to exclude the possibility of resumption of the hostilities becomes increasingly urgent. The escalation of tensions on July 12 serves as yet another reminder of the imperative nature of the immediate establishment of mechanisms for the international ceasefire control.
“The Republic of Artsakh reaffirms its adherence to the commitments assumed to fulfill the agreements on the full cessation of fire and hostilities. At the same time, the authorities of Artsakh will continue to take all necessary measures to strengthen the country’s security, and they are ready to eliminate any attempt by Azerbaijan to launch a new aggression against the territorial integrity and sovereignty of the Republic of Artsakh,” the Artsakh Foreign Ministry stated.
Azerbaijani press: Azerbaijan’s Inclusive Diplomacy Amidst COVID-19: OPINION
- ANALYTICS
Modern Diplomacy has published an article entitled “Azerbaijan’s Inclusive Diplomacy Amidst COVID-19.”
News.Az presents the article by Naghi Ahmadov, a senior fellow at the Center of Analysis of International Relations (AIR Center) in Baku, Azerbaijan.
The COVID-19 pandemic represents an unprecedented disruption to the global supply chain, as production and consumption are on a downward trend across the world. While the outbreak weakened considerably the global value chain by disrupting the balance between supply and demand, the economic repercussions are having a profound adverse impact on every sphere of life. Against this backdrop, some countries tried to turn the coronavirus pandemic into a propaganda tool, whilst the others were suffering from the outbreak.TheCovid-19 pandemic has subsequently become a test for the international community and also an ideal momentum for certain great powers to extend their influence globally.
While the world is in the throes of the COVID-19, under the leadership of President Ilham Aliyev, Azerbaijan has taken important initiatives to strengthen international solidarity and cooperation in the fight against coronavirus at the regional and global levels. The holding of an extraordinary Summit of the Turkic Council and an online Summit-level Meeting of the Non-Aligned Movement Contact Group in response to the COVID-19 initiated by Ilham Aliyev, the current Chairman of the Cooperation Council of Turkic-Speaking States and the NAM, President of Republic of Azerbaijanis an example of this. The heads of state participating in the summits, as well as the heads of the UN and the World Health Organization praised the initiatives of the President of Azerbaijan to curb the pandemic. At these summits, extensive discussions were held on the fight against the coronavirus pandemic, and various ideas and proposals were put forward. Azerbaijan has proposed convening a special session of the United Nations General Assembly (UN GA) to strengthen the global efforts to combat the new coronavirus (COVID-19). The proposal has been already supported by more than 130 UN Member States which demonstrates confidence and trust in Azerbaijan. When the world is facing a global disaster and all countries need international solidarity and cooperation, though it may seem improbable Armenia is the only country protested against the initiative which is in the interests of the international community.
While the COVID-19 wrecking the world, unfortunately, the international community has demonstrated limited solidarity. However, as mentioned by António Guterres, the Secretary-General of the United Nations that we are in an unprecedented situation and the normal rules no longer apply and this is, above all, a human crisis that calls for solidarity. In this sense, hopefully, Azerbaijan’s above-mentioned initiative will invigorate global ambition to find a solution to the global disaster by breaking the silence of the UN and it will once again become a platform for global discussions and this special session will lay the potential groundwork for greater engagement in response to this humanitarian crisis.
Azerbaijan always attaches great importance to mutually beneficial cooperation with all countries. This principle is clearly reflected in Azerbaijan’s foreign policy during the pandemic, as well. Assistance to a number of countries suffering from the pandemic is a clear example of Azerbaijan’s inclusive aid-oriented foreign policy.Azerbaijan, amidst the pandemic, once again repeatedly supports international solidarity and provides assistance to most needy countries. So far, Azerbaijan has extended a helping hand to many countries suffering from the pandemic. Azerbaijan has sent medical aid to about 30 countries, including the People’s Republic of China, Pakistan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. It included financial assistance and support in the form of medical equipments and supplies to strengthen the health, social and economic resilience of the most pandemic-hit countries. At the same time, it has provided $ 10 million in assistance to the World Health Organization, which will help countries in the world that are suffering from the pandemic and financially struggling to fight the pandemic. The donation has been distributed to the most vulnerable Non-Aligned Movement member countries in Africa, Asia, and Latin America. Additionally, in the fight against the coronavirus outbreak, Azerbaijan even donated $5 million of financial aid to the Islamic Republic of Iran devastated under the US sanctions which made it impossible for the country to swiftly take the necessary medical, economic and social measures to protect its citizens from the coronavirus. The main criteria here are the countries in need the most. All this, of course, is a clear example of the humanity and generosity of the people of Azerbaijan. Azerbaijan never turns away those who ask for help. Therefore, the sympathy and respect for Azerbaijan, who pursues the right and dignified policy both domestically and internationally, is growing day by day. That once again attests Azerbaijan is always at the forefront of the fight against the global challenges.
The COVID-19 pandemic is first and foremost a public health crisis for the whole of humanity. Understanding the significance of the problem, therefore Azerbaijan shoulders a tremendous responsibility as a middle power to uphold the vision of strengthening the solidarity and the promotion of multilateral diplomacy. Azerbaijan conducts diplomacy focused on the practical measures to deal with a global disaster of this dimension, at multiple levels, in coordination with each other and the international community. Some experts consider the recent developments in Azerbaijan’s foreign policy as “the rise of Azerbaijan’s diplomacy”.
To conclude, at a time when the global crisis and uncertainty are deepening, Azerbaijan is taking responsibility and making a real contribution to multilateralism. As a responsible and reliable member of the world community, Azerbaijan has supported calls for global solidarity from the earliest days of the coronavirus threat. Azerbaijan’s foreign policy stance on the response to the COVID-19 pandemic is that the international community can only tackle the current crisis through a multilateral rules-based order and there is no way to protectionism and isolationism. More specifically, Azerbaijan prefers inclusive diplomacy as a possible framework for addressing the current critical situation.