BAKU, Azerbaijan, May 21
Trend:
We are a responsible country, respect ourselves, maintain dignity and respect our partners, said Azerbaijan’s President Ilham Aliyev in his interview with Azerbaijan Television after viewing the DOST center No3 of the Sustainable and Operative Social Security Agency under the Ministry of Labor and Social Protection of Population in Nizami district, Baku, Trend reports.
He noted that providing assistance to several foreign countries is an integral part of our policy because, as far as foreign policy is concerned, we have always preferred cooperation and have seen the benefits of that.
“If we had opportunities, we tried to help and helped. Several of our important transnational projects are built on the basis of this principle and success is achieved precisely thanks to this principle. Therefore, mutual support in foreign policy should not be in word but in deed. Solidarity must be shown in practice. We are currently chairing two organizations – the Turkic Council and the Non-Aligned Movement. And we have held summits of these organizations at the highest level,” said President Ilham Aliyev.
He noted that Azerbaijan’s special role was noted in the final declarations of the summits of the Non-Aligned Movement and the Turkic Council.
“We very responsibly approach all issues, our chairmanship should not be and is not formal in nature. Therefore, in difficult times, everyone who has the opportunity must help – both in life and in politics. This, as they say, is consistent with our customs and traditions. Therefore, I believe that provision of this assistance today is the right step. To date, we have provided assistance to 13 countries and talk about this only recently. We sent hundreds of tons of help via airplanes. We sent disinfectants, protective equipment and other items made in Azerbaijan, but did not advertise ourselves. We did this considering it our moral duty and for the countries that asked us for help. We know that the financial situation of these countries does not allow them to take the necessary measures. I am sure that this help has saved many human lives. This is the main thing. Thus, assistance was provided to 13 countries and three international organizations. This once again demonstrates our responsibility,” said President Ilham Aliyev.
The head of state pointed out that it is no coincidence that Azerbaijan is a country that is highly respected and has a great authority on a global scale.
“Otherwise, eight years ago we would not have been elected to the UN Security Council with the support of 155 countries, would not have been elected chairman of the Non-Aligned Movement by a unanimous decision of 120 countries. As I said, many countries that do not get along with each other. But they all supported Azerbaijan. Why? Because we are a responsible country, respect ourselves, maintain dignity and respect our partners. When providing assistance, we do this in a way that is acceptable to the recipient of this assistance. And we will continue our work in this direction,” said President Ilham Aliyev.
He noted that during the pandemic, both people and countries showed their true face.
“There are people it would be a great sin to shake hands with during the pandemic. There are countries that withdrew into themselves during the pandemic. In particular, at the initial stage they took steps they are probably ashamed of now. Azerbaijan has always been a dignified country and the pandemic has once again confirmed this,” added President Ilham Aliyev.