UPDATE - Azerbaijani president calls for fair distribution of COVID-19 vaccines

UPDATES WITH MORE REMARKS FROM ALIYEV

By Ruslan Rehimov

BAKU, Azerbaijan (AA) – Azerbaijan’s president on Thursday reiterated his call for “equal and universal access to vaccines” as the world continues to fight the coronavirus pandemic.

“We launched the initiative in the United Nations Human Rights Council with respect to equal and universal access to vaccines and fair distribution of vaccines,” said Ilham Aliyev, addressing the 8th Global Baku Forum, titled The World after COVID-19, in the Azerbaijani capital Baku.

“We are one of the countries that openly speaks about issues like vaccine nationalism and unfair distribution of vaccines on a global scale,” he added.

While some countries have already moved to giving out third booster shots, others still have a very low rate of vaccination, he noted.

“Therefore, we need to address this issue in order to create equal opportunities,” he added.

- ‘Conflict resolved’

On the conflict between Azerbaijan and Armenia, Aliyev said that today “the conflict is resolved.”

“Azerbaijan resolves the conflict itself,” he added. “Azerbaijan itself implemented the UN Security Council resolutions adopted in 1993, which demanded the immediate, unconditional withdrawal of Armenian troops from the occupied territories of Azerbaijan.”

“Unfortunately, this resolution remained on paper for 27 years, and probably would have remained on paper for another 27 years if Azerbaijan did not itself restore its territorial integrity using chapter 51 of UN Charter which provides the right to self-defense,” he added.

Relations between the former Soviet republics have been tense since 1991, when the Armenian military occupied Nagorno-Karabakh, also known as Upper Karabakh, a territory internationally recognized as part of Azerbaijan, and seven adjacent regions.

New clashes erupted on Sept. 27 last year, with the Armenian army attacking civilians and Azerbaijani forces and violating several humanitarian cease-fire agreements.

During the 44-day conflict, Azerbaijan liberated several cities and some 300 settlements and villages that were occupied by Armenia for almost 30 years.

Prior to this, about 20% of Azerbaijan’s territory was under illegal occupation.

The fighting ended with a Russian-brokered agreement on Nov. 10, 2020 with the cease-fire seen as a victory for Azerbaijan and a defeat for Armenia.

Two months later, the leaders of Russia, Azerbaijan and Armenia signed a pact to develop economic ties and infrastructure to benefit the entire region. It also included the establishment of a trilateral working group on Karabakh.

- Energy security

On the completion of the construction of the Southern Gas Corridor, Aliyev said the last segment of the Trans Adriatic Pipeline (TAP) was commissioned on Dec. 31 last year.

“This is a really historical achievement for Azerbaijan, for our neighbors, for Europe because it is an important factor of European energy security, it is an important instrument of diversification,” he said.

He added that Azerbaijan exported more than 14 billion cubic meters of natural gas to five countries, including Turkey, Georgia, Italy, Greece, Bulgaria.

“Almost half of this volume was consumed by consumers of European Union,” he said, adding: “Southern Gas Corridor is a project of energy security of Europe.”

According to a statement from the Azerbaijani presidency, the 8th Global Baku Forum brings together top representatives, including former heads of state and government and officials of international and non-governmental groups from more than 40 countries to discuss issues of global importance.

“The forum will feature panel discussions on topics such as ‘New world order after COVID-19’, ‘New world economy’, ‘In a new era: peace, security and human rights’, ‘Combatting climate change and meeting global energy demand’, ‘Healthcare and vaccination’, ‘Promoting food security', ‘Eastern partnership and its opportunities’, including the situation in the EU, the Balkans, and the South Caucasus,” it added.