The role of parliaments in eliminating the pandemic and building a better future was talked over at the 142^nd virtual session of the Inter-Parliamentary Union held on 26-27 May.

The video-recorded address of Adil Aliyev, Deputy Chair of the Milli Majlis and Leader of the Azerbaijani parliamentary delegation to the IPU, was delivered on his behalf at the opening of the IPU Assembly session. The vice speaker told of the steps taken in Azerbaijan to end the pandemic, saying that our country had been in close interaction with the World Health Organisation from the very first days of it. According to the Who information, Azerbaijan is regarded as one of the exemplary countries in the action against the pandemic. The WHO Director General wrote a letter to the President of Azerbaijan Mr Ilham Aliyev praising the preventive action of the Azerbaijani State in the context of the struggle against COVID-19.

Concerning the efforts made by the Milli Majlis to curb the spread of COVID-19, Adil Aliyev mentioned a number of parliamentary resolutions made during the pandemic with a view to mitigating its consequences.

There was a virtual hearing about the current situation with the coronavirus (COVID-19) infection, vaccination and other arrangements in place at the suggestion of Chair of the Milli Majlis Sahiba Gafarova at a joint meeting of the parliamentary committees for health and for economic policy, industries and enterprising on 4 February.

At the end of his address, Adil Aliyev stressed that only mutual support, self-protection and joint efforts can help us all overcome COVID-19.

Kamran Bayramov of the Milli Majlis delegation to the IPU spoke on the second day of the Assembly session. Mr Bayramov mentioned that Azerbaijan had honoured its international obligations by having contributed to the work done by the WHO and had supplied more than 30 countries, mainly less advanced than most, with direct humanitarian and financial aid so as to prop their action against the coronavirus infection.

Acting as chair of the Non-Aligned Movement, Azerbaijan arranged a summit of the NAM Contact Group on the counter-COVID-19 action on 4 May 2020. Azerbaijan also masterminded the special session of the UN in New York dedicated to combatting the coronavirus infection.

Speaking further, Kamran Bayramov voiced the Azerbaijani side’s worry about the lack of parity in distribution of vaccines and the unfair sharing of them amongst the developing and developed countries.

The deputies of 56 countries who also spoke at the Assembly session told of the anti-COVID-19 efforts of their respective countries and of the roles in the process assigned to the parliaments.

It should be mentioned that the members of the Milli Majlis delegation to the IPU Nigyar Arpadarai, Parvin Karimzade, Tural Ganjaliyev, Naghif Hamzayev, Sabina Khasayeva, Elnur Allahverdiyev and Shahin Ismayilov took part in the session of the IPU Assembly as well.

The Press and Public Relations
Department The Milli Majlis