GENEVA, May 22. /TASS/. The Russian Ministry of Health has registered concerns regarding the concept of a third gender, which is being promoted by the Secretariat of the World Health Organization (WHO), Deputy Health Minister Sergey Glagolev said on Monday in addressing the 76th World Health Assembly in Geneva.

"The concept of a third gender is not universally recognized, has not been agreed upon by the member countries, and does not enjoy broad-based support within the world community. We also note that the concept of a third gender is incompatible with the ethno-cultural practices, religious ethics, national traditions and social norms of most of the member countries of the WHO," Glagolev emphasized.

"We express our concern about this [phenomenon], as well as about the potential decline in the vital importance of the institution of the family and traditional values," the deputy minister said.

According to Glagolev, the concept of a third gender goes hand in hand with the agenda of the collective West for imposing models of behavior on the peoples of Africa, Asia, Eastern Europe and the Middle East that are fundamentally alien to their ethnic and social norms and, thus, will foster local tensions.