Russian Foreign Minister Warns Against Politicizing Coronavirus Response, WHO Actions

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has cautioned other countries against politicizing the coronavirus pandemic and the actions of the World Health Organization (WHO) during an online press conference.

The minister added the data on the WHO’s operations shows that the global health body has acted efficiently in fighting the coronavirus pandemic coordinating a global response to a new threat.

“I would caution against attempting to politicize the issue of the coronavirus [pandemic] – something that can be seen not only with regard to the WHO, but also with regard to accusations against certain countries. I would advise right now to focus on certain steps to stop the pandemic, its spread, and on minimizing the damage it does, first and foremost to the health and lives of people”, Lavrov said.

Lavrov further stated that many international bodies, such as the G20, BRICS, the Commonwealth of Independent States, and the Eurasian Economic Union, will have to re-evaluate their activities after the coronavirus pandemic ends. 

The minister separately noted that Moscow will review any US requests for more medical equipment and protective gear to fight the pandemic and stressed that this topic was covered in a telephone call between the Russian and American presidents.

Previously, some western nations accused Russia and China of spreading fake news about the coronavirus epidemic, despite both countries suffering from the outbreak. US President Donald Trump also accused the WHO of being “China-centric” in its view of the situation around the pandemic.

Source: Sputnik