“There is no issue discussed at the international level that the position of our country has not been studied. On the one hand, this shows the place and role of Azerbaijan in the world, as well as a sign of the personal authority of President Ilham Aliyev.
The opinion of our President is taken into account and his views are respected at any international event held regardless of its field and theme. The President’s speech at the 74th session of the World Health Assembly, the main decision-making body of the World Health Organization, on “Ending the pandemic and preventing another pandemic: building a healthier, safer and fairer world together” shows the importance of his recommendations to the world.
This opinion was expressed by the chairman of the Azerbaijan Trade Unions Confederation (ATUC), MP Sattar Mohbaliyev.
“Obviously, since the coronavirus began to spread among people, all countries have begun to take preventive measures. Our country was one of the first countries to fight to prevent this scourge. Along with other countries, the steps to be taken by Azerbaijan in this area were followed with interest by international organizations. “In a short period of time, the preventive measures taken by our state began to set an example to the world and were appreciated by international actors,” he said.
Saying that one of the most important goals of our state is human health, Mr. President instructed to take planned and systematic measures to prevent the spread of the disease, reduce the rate of infection, and protect the health of citizens, and important decisions were made in this area. Access to the country was restricted, all educational institutions were suspended, mass events and sports competitions were postponed. A quarantine regime with restrictions was also introduced, and special rules of conduct were established. In addition, the shortage of masks and medicines in the country was eliminated, the number of laboratories was increased, the supply of tests was organized, modular hospitals were established, medical personnel from abroad were invited, and health care costs were increased. All these measures taken under the leadership of Mr. President were highly appreciated by the world powers, as well as international organizations and became an example, “Mohbaliyev said.
According to him, the reduction of the negative impact of the pandemic on the economic life of the country was in the focus of Mr. President: “For this purpose, an Action Plan was prepared and budget funds were mobilized to implement the plan. During the pandemic, the state’s measures to support “employment and social welfare” affected 4.8 million people. 600,000 unemployed people, including those who lost their income during the special quarantine regime, were provided with a lump sum payment of 190 manat in the amount of the subsistence minimum. In general, the economy received a total of about 2.5 billion manat from the 2020 state budget and other sources to finance measures to reduce the negative impact of the pandemic on the national economy, macroeconomic stability, employment and business entities. When we consider, we see that Azerbaijan has taken all possible measures to be taken in the event of a pandemic.
“Azerbaijan, which is internationally recognized as a responsible and reliable partner, has provided assistance to more than 30 countries to support the international fight against the pandemic. The World Health Organization also received a voluntary financial contribution of $ 10 million. All this shows the humanistic nature of our country among the countries of the world, “he added.
“Our country was one of the first countries to receive coronavirus vaccines to achieve immunity against infection, prevent disease, limit the transmission of infection and, most importantly, prevent death, and vaccination of the population began on January 18 this year. Thus, Azerbaijan became the first country in the South Caucasus to start vaccination, and 2 million doses of vaccine have already been used. This means 20 percent of the population. It is obvious that under the leadership of President Ilham Aliyev, our state has become an exemplary country among the world countries, successfully applying all possible options to protect the health of our citizens, “the ATUC chairman concluded.