ADB praises Azerbaijan’s steps in fighting COVID-19

Finance Minister Samir Sharifov met with Anthony McDonald, Executive Director of the Asian Development Bank (ADB), in a video conference.

The sides exchanged views on the current state and future directions of cooperation between Azerbaijan and the ADB, emphasizing the successful development of relations.

Sharifov spoke about the macroeconomic situation in the country, the measures taken by the government under the leadership of President Ilham Aliyev, the restoration and reconstruction of liberated lands, the fight against the pandemic, and its impact on the country’s economy, as well as the rapid vaccination process.

McDonald said the ADB Board of Directors had thoroughly analyzed the risks during the pandemic and praised the preventive measures taken by the Azerbaijani government in 2020 and the work done so far to combat COVID-19 through the country’s domestic resources. He noted that this is why the decision to allocate a $250 million loan in 2021 to help the Azerbaijani government implement a comprehensive plan to mitigate the medical, social and economic consequences of the coronavirus pandemic was unanimously supported by the bank’s Board of Directors.