GENEVA, December 7. / TASS /. President of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) Francesco Rocca expressed his gratitude to Russian President Vladimir Putin for his contribution to ensuring equal access to COVID-19 vaccines and for the support in helping migrants.
The IFRC head also pointed out Russia’s essential role as "a key player that was able to influence the global agenda."
"I was very pleased for the productive discussion on common humanitarian priorities and challenges," Rocca said. "I want to thank President Putin for his commitment to achieve COVID-19 vaccine equity, to support the work of the Red Cross with migrants and to support the Russian Red Cross."
The IFRC head emphasized that he "was honored to have the opportunity to meet with President Putin". According to him, it is crucial to engage world leaders in such humanitarian discussions, "particularly at this moment when the pandemic is affecting every country in the world." "We know that Russia is a key player that is able to influence the global agenda, this is why it was so important to have this meeting," Rocca stated.
The president of the IFRC also highlighted the great work carried out by the Russian Red Cross during the pandemic. "Local actors, like the Russian Red Cross, know the culture, speak the language and hold the trust of their communities," he said, noting that during the pandemic, the specialists from the Red Cross and Red Crescent National Societies "proved to be critical" in humanitarian work.
As the IFRC stated, during the talks with the Russian leader, Rocca addressed "humanitarian priorities and challenges such as the COVID-19 pandemic, the equitable distribution of vaccines, the migration crisis on the border between Belarus and Poland" as well as the ways to strengthen support to the Russian Red Cross and "the critical role of local actors to respond to emergencies.".