The coronavirus epidemic has posed new challenges to the world community. Azerbaijan quickly responded to them, to which the chairmanship of the Non-Aligned Movement passed in 2019-2022. At the critical moment of global trials related to coronavirus, the importance of the responsible policy of the leadership of Azerbaijan has sharply increased both for the Caucasus region and the Caspian Basin, and for the world community.

At the initiative of the President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev, as the current chairman of the Non-Aligned Movement, a summit of the organization’s Contact Group called “Together Against COVID-19” was held on Monday May 4, dedicated to the fight against coronavirus. The summit was held in a video conference format.

The videoconference, which was joined by heads of state and government of more than 40 member countries, was attended by the UN Secretary-General, the President of the UN General Assembly, the Chairman of the African Union and the Director-General of the World Health Organization, the highest representative of the European Union and others.

The summit was opened by the President of Azerbaijan, who emphasized that in a pandemic, it is important to maintain open trade between our countries and uninterruptedly carry out international cargo transportation. According to Ilham Aliyev, Azerbaijan has already become one of the important transport and logistics centres in Eurasia has played a big role in creating transport corridors East-West, North-South, North-West, connecting dozens of countries. Azerbaijan, as a reliable transit and logistics centre, responsibly approaching its role in a pandemic, provides unhindered transit traffic through its territory.

The president of the 74th session of the UN General Assembly, Tijan Muhammad-Bande, also spoke at the summit. According to him, the world depends on the situation in the field of agriculture.

“We must make every effort to provide people with food and income, as well as to ensure that agricultural workers can provide the population with food with minimal losses. Excellencies, I appeal to you so that large investments are inclusively made in this area, more stable food systems are created and that this system covers every state. "We must be very careful that millions of people do not face the problems of hunger." - said Tijan Muhammad-Bande.

Speaking at the summit, UN Secretary-General António Guterres highlighted the three immediate priorities facing the Non-Aligned Movement: to put an end to the COVID-19 pandemic, eliminate its socio-economic impact and use the reconstruction phase to create stronger foundations, so that no one is left behind.

At the end of the summit, a Declaration was adopted in which, in particular, serious concern was expressed about the rapid spread of the COVID-19 epidemic, the serious damage caused by the pandemic to societies and economies, as well as global tourism and trade, its devastating effect on people's lives and life was recognized. Summit members called on United Nations Member States to strengthen cooperation in the fight against the epidemic at the national, regional, and international levels.