BAKU, May 11. /TASS/. Azerbaijan is grateful to Russia for its helping hand in combating the COVID-19 pandemic by sending medical specialists and the Sputnik V vaccine to the republic, Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov told a news conference with his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov on Tuesday.
"We are thankful to Russia for sending medical specialists to our country and supplying the Sputnik V vaccine. The Russian vaccine’s delivery will have a very positive effect on the speed and coverage of vaccinating Azerbaijan’s citizens," Bayramov said. The foreign minister said the first batch of the vaccine arrived in Azerbaijan on May 2.
The pandemic was a challenge for mankind as a whole, affecting the trade turnover between Azerbaijan and Russia, the top diplomat said. "The drop in mutual trade turnover in 2020 was linked to the pandemic, but it still reached some $3 bln and at the talks today the potential for its further growth was noted," Bayramov said.
According to Azerbaijan’s top diplomat, the pandemic was a good litmus test for Russian-Azerbaijani ties. "At the negotiations we noted with satisfaction that our countries passed this test with an excellent mark," Bayramov noted.
Sergey Lavrov arrived in Azerbaijan on May 10 for a working visit. Late on May 9, the foreign minister held talks with Azerbaijan’s President Ilham Aliyev.