At a briefing held at the foreign office on Friday (8 May 2020), DPM Meredov called for international cooperation in the healthcare sector in general and against Covid-19 in particular. He also expressed readiness to receive the WHO mission for independent evaluation of the situation in Turkmenistan.
Here are the main points of his remarks:
Covid-19 is a global challenge and it requires a coordinated global response.
An important factor is the security of the transport routes. There is the need to agree on a systematic approach based on a multilateral legal base. The initiative group is working on a document which will include among other things the finances and means required for the restoration of transport systems.
There is the need to jointly assume the moral and financial collaboration among the states.
As the president of Turkmenistan mentioned in his speech at the NAM online summit, there should be no discrimination or partiality when dealing with the Covid-19 and its consequences.
There should be close cooperation among the professionals including the medical professionals. In this regard, it is important to give serious consideration to Turkmenistan’s proposal to establish a council of medical scientists.
Multilateral joint work in coordination with the UN (and its specialized agencies) is of paramount importance.
We are ready to receive the WHO mission and we have conveyed our readiness to the WHO. The logistics for the visit are being worked out. The mission will include the European medical experts and the mass media.
We are also focusing on the post pandemic period particularly the restoration of the economy and the humanitarian aspects.
There are four areas that will be our priority in the post pandemic restoration effort: Energy, Industry, Transport, and Trade.
It is noteworthy that the world energy markets have never faced a similar situation.
The transport sector in the post crisis period will require special measures.
A crucial area is food security. At present about 800-900 million people in the world are facing hunger because of the pandemic. There is the need to provide access to the food resources.
The world cannot deal with the pandemic and its consequences while conflicts and wars are going on. There is the need for global peace. In this context it is important to note the year 2021 has been declared as the Year of Peace and Trust by the UN on the initiative of Turkmenistan. /// nCa, 11 May 2020