Azernews.Az

By Vugar Khalilov

Former Latvian President Valdis Zatlers has said that Azerbaijan and Latvia have great potential for strengthening further economic and political ties.

Zatlers made the remarks on the sidelines of the VIII Global Baku Forum - "The World after COVID-19" held in Baku on November 4-6.

He stressed that Azerbaijani-Latvian relations are developing both at the level of presidents and peoples of the two countries.

"In the economic sphere, relations are developing dynamically. The two countries have every opportunity to establish ties in the field of transport and logistics. Azerbaijan and Latvia have every opportunity to realize the existing potential," Zatlers underlined.

He recalled that Azerbaijan won a glorious victory in the 44-day war in late 2020 by liberating its lands and currently, peace-building is the most important point in the region.

“The organization of a number of prestigious events in your country is an indicator of economic development. Azerbaijan demonstrates its strength to the whole world. The global events implemented by your country are an example to the whole world," he underlined.

Zatlers stressed that despite the difficulties due to the coronavirus pandemic, Azerbaijan is developing and contributing to the progress of the world’s fight against the disease.

Furthermore, another Latvian ex-president Egils Levits thanked Azerbaijan for its support for its inter-regional statement made within the UN last year in the fight against false information in the context of COVID-19.

He made the statement addressing the ongoing forum.

Levits welcomed Azerbaijan’s initiative of holding a special session of the UN General Assembly in December 2020 to unite efforts to combat the coronavirus.

He stressed that this event was a great example of managing the UN platform to mobilize global efforts against the pandemic.

“We sincerely wish the world after COVID-19. Because we can travel freely again and there would be no need to keep distance. The current situation requires clear discipline, global solidarity, scientific discoveries, and the availability of professional medical staff as a reliable, verified source of information,” Levits said.

He noted that the pandemic has caused visible changes in the world. The scale of globalization, the differences between generations, the promises and limits of digitalization, the despair of government and science are relative images of the present time. The pandemic also tested the resilience of the world's nations, he added.

Organized by the Nizami Ganjavi International Center under the patronage of Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev, the VIII Global Baku Forum under the motto "The world after COVID-19” kicked off on November 4.

The VIII Global Baku Forum brings together high-level representatives, including former heads of state and government, officials of international and non-governmental organizations from more than 40 countries, as well as other distinguished guests, to discuss issues of global importance.

About 300 guests are participating in the event, organized in a hybrid format, live and online.

The forum will last until November 6.

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