BAKU, Azerbaijan, May 19. The number of grant issuers to those who are biased towards Azerbaijan has dropped, Hikmet Hajiyev, Assistant to the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan and Head of the Foreign Policy Affairs Department of the Presidential Administration, told reporters on the sidelines of WUF13, Trend reports.
According to him, there have always been biased approaches towards Azerbaijan, especially during global events in the country.
He noted that in recent times, we have observed a certain decrease in these biased approaches.
"Because the financial resources of these groups, which operate synchronously both within the country and abroad, have decreased. The number of those who allocate grants to them is not as high as before.
We know very well what goals they serve under the name of grants, although they try to deny it. The campaigns continue, but their scale is not as large as before.
In this context, we can mention organizations such as USAID, which operated during the previous U.S. administration and was presented as an aid organization. These structures, which are essentially engaged in different activities, also had relations with certain organizations in Azerbaijan."
Hajiyev said that over the past five years, the European Parliament has adopted more than ten different resolutions on Azerbaijan, but it is possible to see what problems the people who adopted those resolutions themselves face.
"Such cases have been and will be, but Azerbaijan doesn't attach particular importance to them.
Azerbaijan has its own independent policy. Today, the respect and authority that our country has gained from the international community is evident. Azerbaijan is already acting as one of the important diplomatic centers of the world, and such global events are held here.
"It's enough to look at these audiences and the essence of the discussions held here to see everything clearly.
Under the leadership of President Ilham Aliyev, Azerbaijan maintains its leadership position at the international level, and this leadership is becoming stronger. The geography of cooperation and partnership of our country is also expanding," he emphasized.
The third day of the 13th session of the World Urban Forum (WUF13) is underway in Baku.
On the first day, a ministerial meeting dedicated to the New Urban Agenda, a roundtable of ministers, assemblies of women and civil society, business sessions, and discussions on urban well-being were held. A ceremony for raising the flags of the United Nations and Azerbaijan also took place within the framework of the forum.
The second day of the forum drew attention with the first-ever Leaders Summit. High-level discussions on the global housing crisis, urbanization policy, and urban resilience were held that day. At the same time, the Mexico City pavilion was inaugurated within the framework of WUF13. The pavilion was presented as an important platform for expanding cooperation with the Latin American region and preparing for WUF14.
WUF13, which has attracted more than 40,000 registered participants from 182 countries, will continue until May 22. Held under the theme “Housing the world: Safe and resilient cities and communities,” the forum brings together governments, international organizations, experts, and representatives of civil society to strengthen global cooperation in the field of sustainable urban development.
