MOSCOW, November 12. /TASS/. Russian President Vladimir Putin has said that any measures that might restrict the prerogatives of the World Health Organization are impermissible.
"The role of the World Health Organization is getting more significant. Its activity deserves all conceivable support, of course. Any steps that might restrict the prerogatives of the WHO, which operates under the UN auspices, are impermissible," Putin said at the APEC summit videoconference on Friday.
The Russian leader said that on the condition of common assistance from all APEC participants "the WHO might play a still more active role in conducting mass vaccination of the population, because vaccines remain unavailable to many countries that need them."
Putin said that to a certain extent it was a result of unfair competition, protectionism and unpreparedness of some countries for the mutual recognition of anti-COVID vaccines and vaccination certificates.
"The WHO might accelerate the procedure of requalifying new vaccines and medications, in other words, to assess their quality, safety and effectiveness," he said.