“President Ilham Aliyev's initiative to convene a special session of the UN General Assembly in response to COVID-19 is one of the crucial steps taken by Azerbaijan in the fight against the coronavirus at the global level," Head of the Foreign Policy Affairs Department of the Azerbaijani Presidential Administration Hikmat Hajiyev said at a briefing of the Task Force under the Cabinet of Ministers.

Hikmat Hajiyev noted that the initiative was put forward by the President on May 4, 2020, during the virtual summit of the Non-Aligned Movement Contact Group dedicated to combating the pandemic. “During the virtual summit, all the member states unanimously supported the Azerbaijani President’s initiative and agreed on behalf of the Movement to submit a proposal to the UN secretary-general. It was another clear example of confidence and respect for Azerbaijan’s initiative at the global level as it was supported by more than 130 UN member states. Different UN agencies are now taking appropriate procedural steps to convene a special session,” Hikmat Hajiyev emphasized.

“While Armenia has been begging for support from the world countries, it rejected the initiative of President Ilham Aliyev to convene a special session of the UN General Assembly, exposing its true nature," he added.