Armenia is not winning, Azerbaijan is not winning. The pandemic is winning. UN Secretary-General

UN Secretary-General António Guterres calls for a ceasefire in major global conflicts, warning that if military actions continue, "the only winner will be the pandemic."

In an interview with Associated Press, Guterres also touched upon the recent escalation in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict zone. "In the last two weeks, the number of COVID-19 cases in Armenia has doubled, while in Azerbaijan it has increased by 80 percent," he stated. "Armenia is not winning, Azerbaijan is not winning. COVID-19 is winning. We need to stop," he added.

Guterres noted that the same can be said for Libya, Yemen, Syria, Afghanistan, the Sahel region of Africa, and other conflicts. "I am here to call on all of them to understand that you cannot win a war," the UN Secretary-General emphasized, adding: "The only way is to unite forces for a ceasefire, political negotiations, and victory over COVID. Otherwise, the only winner will be the pandemic."