MINSK, 19 April (BelTA) – The World Health Organization is ready to continue providing technical and advisory assistance to Belarus in the fight against COVID-19. This statement was made at a meeting of Belarusian Minister of Foreign Affairs Vladimir Makei with WHO Director-General Tedros Ghebreyesus in Geneva on 19 April, BelTA learned from the press service of the Belarusian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
The parties pointed to the long-standing and comprehensive nature of cooperation between Belarus and WHO across a wide range of matters. “The minister informed the interlocutor about Belarus' COVID-19 response strategy, the progress in the vaccination campaign, the launch of the production of Russia's Sputnik V vaccine in Belarus and plans to produce the country's own vaccine. Vladimir Makei thanked Tedros Ghebreyesus for WHO support in combating the pandemic, including supplies of personal protective equipment, test kits and other medical equipment to Belarus,” the press service informed.
It was noted that Belarus supports the efforts of the WHO director-general to strengthen the role of WHO in coordinating the response of the international community to potential health emergencies, in particular, his initiative to develop a new international treaty for pandemic preparedness and response to healthcare emergencies.
Tedros Ghebreyesus, for his part, confirmed the organization's readiness to continue providing Belarus with technical and advisory support in the fight against COVID-19, including with the country's vaccine production. It was emphasized that WHO is interested in strengthening Belarus' vaccine production capacity and might consider a joint use of final products in the future.
