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“I am particularly happy that new HIV infections among children are down by 56 percent in the past fifteen years. Four countries have eliminated them completely: Cuba, Thailand, Armenia and Belarus. I hope we will reach zero new infections among children soon,” UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said in his opening speech to General Assembly High-Level meeting on HIV/AIDS on June 8, 2016.

Minister of Health of Armenia, Armen Muradyan noted that the obligations undertaken by the Government of Armenia to join the Declaration of Commitment on HIV/AIDS and the subsequent political declaration fundamentally changed the conceptual approaches to HIV/AIDS counteractions.

The minister underlined that the country has strengthened its political obligations in HIV/AIDS field.
“I should mention that we were able to succeed in this [field] thanks to donors and international organizations,” Muradyan said.

According to public relations department of the ministry, Muradyan also spoke about the Artsakh issue.
“Today quoting Nelson Mandela, a question was raised; which is worse war or AIDS? Indeed, where is justice when a child is born with immune deficiency, where’s the justice when children wishing to live and study in their homeland, learn their language, believe in their God, respect the traditions of their parents and ancestors, are being subjected to shelling? Where is justice, when 90 year old people, wishing to live through their old age in their homeland, their homes are killed? I speak about the events in Nagorno Karabakh, which happened two months ago. Which is worse AIDS or the infection of inhumanity, hatred, which defeats even those in highest positions, clouding their minds, turning a civilized person into a barbarian, who gives ruthless orders to kill children and elderly people? It’s difficult to find the answer,” Minister of Health of Armenia said.

He noted that perhaps future generations won’t know what war or AIDS are. This is when we can find the answer to this question.

“I’m sure that the future generations will compare not which is worse, but which is better; peace and prosperity,” Muradyan concluded.

According to the source, UN Member States adopted a new political declaration that includes a set of time-bound targets to fast-track the pace of progress towards combating the worldwide scourge of HIV and AIDS over the next five years and end the epidemic as a public health threat by 2030.