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    India supports Franco-German alliance to fight Coronavirus Pandemic

    Synopsis

    DipanjanRoy.Chaudhury@timesgroup.Foreign ministers and senior diplomats of the Alliance for Multilateralism, a 25-nation bloc that also includes India, discussed ways to strengthen “key international organisations” to contain the virus outbreak via video conference on Thursday.

    India-agenciesAgencies
    India has broadly indicated that it would not support at this stage any move to put the WHO under the scanner.
    New Delhi: India is learnt to have steered clear of pulling up the World Health Organisation for “failing to control the Covid-19 pandemic”, adopting a broad-based and multi-pronged approach by joining an alliance led by France and Germany and set to take part in the BRICS Foreign Ministers’ meet later this month.

    Foreign ministers and senior diplomats of the Alliance for Multilateralism, a 25-nation bloc that also includes India, discussed ways to strengthen “key international organisations” to contain the virus outbreak via video conference on Thursday.

    India has broadly indicated it would not support any move at this stage to put the WHO under the scanner at this stage.

    Vikas Swarup, Secretary (West), Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), who represented India at the virtual meet, tweeted that “improvements in global health governance and multilateral institutions to fight the pandemic” were discussed at the conference.

    Diplomatic sources told ET that the “question” on WHO’s role could be revisited once the world had adequately addressed the crisis.

    “What we need now is more international coordination, not less,” German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas said after the video conference, which was convened by him and his French counterpart Jean-Yves Le Drian.

    “We need to strengthen international organizations – especially @UN and @WHO. Weakening the @WHO now would be like throwing the pilot out of the plane during a flight. We agreed on this at the meeting of the Alliance for Multilateralism,” Maas tweeted, making Germany’s position clear in response to a move by US President Donald Trump to stop funding the WHO.

    “Blaming others won't help. The virus knows no borders,” Maas wrote on his Twitter feed on Wednesday ahead of the video conference.

    “One of the best investments is to strengthen the UN, above all the under-financed WHO, for the development and distribution of tests and vaccines,” he pointed out.

    Other European states echoed similar sentiments. “(The) UN and (the) WHO need our strong support,” Pekka Havisto, Foreign Minister of Finland, tweeted after the virtual meeting.

    Meanwhile, India will take part in the BRICS Foreign Ministers’ meet proposed on April 28. It will join Brazil, Russia, China and South Africa in the virtual meet that is expected to review the current state of the pandemic globally, individual responses to the crisis and probable joint strategy in containing it, ET has learnt.

    The meet will also take stock of BRICS’ agenda under Russian presidency and the summit scheduled in July in St Petersburg.

    Separately, Saudi Arabia, as the holder of the G20 Presidency, has pledged $500 million to relevant international organizations to support global efforts in combating the pandemic. Health ministers of the G20 grouping will meet virtually on Sunday to review responses to the crisis.

    Saudi Arabia’s contribution will support emergency and preparedness response, developing and deploying new diagnostics, therapeutics and vaccines, fulfilling unmet needs for international surveillance and coordination, and ensuring sufficient supplies of protective equipment for health workers.


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