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.