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Coronavirus pandemic

Lavrov highlights importance of Russian COVID vaccines approval at his talks with WHO head

MOSCOW, October 30. /TASS/. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov emphasized the importance of adding Russian COVID-19 vaccines to the list of those authorized by the World Health Organization (WHO) at his talks with WHO Director General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, the Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement on Saturday after their meeting on the margins of the G20 summit in Rome.

"Russia pledged support for the organization to preserve its main leading and coordinating role in international health cooperation, to strengthen its potential, and highlighted the importance of adding the COVID-19 vaccines developed in Russia to the list of the vaccines recommended by the WHO for emergency use," the statement says.

The Foreign Ministry added that the talks focused on international cooperation and collaboration between Russia and the WHO in the fight against the pandemic in the wake of a new wave of COVID-19 around the world.

Lavrov also assured Russia was determined to protect the central role of the World Health Organization (WHO) in international health efforts.

"We believe that the WHO and its central role in any future configuration of international efforts in the health field must be supported. The issue will be raised at the G20 summit, and we will make it clear that it is crucial to rely on the WHO’s efforts and to support its work," Lavrov said.

Ghebreyesus thanked for the words of support in Russian President Vladimir Putin’s address to the G20 summit.

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