Putin Calls for Strengthening WHO, Removing Obstacles for Partnership in Healthcare Sector

"As to healthcare, just like in economy, we now need to remove, as many as possible, obstacles to partner relations," Putin said in a video address to the 75th session of the United Nations General Assembly on Tuesday, TASS reported.

"Our country has been actively contributing to global and regional counter-COVID-19 efforts, providing assistance to most affected states both bilaterally and within multilateral formats," he added.

According to the Russian leader, Moscow respects the central coordinating role of the World Health Organization.

"We believe it essential to qualitatively strengthen the WHO capability. This work has already begun, and Russia is genuinely motivated to engage in it," he stressed.

The Russian leader noted that during the coronavirus pandemic there were no borders for solidarity between doctors, volunteers and people of different countries and many "countries have also been helping each other selflessly and open-heartedly".

"However, there have been cases showing the deficit of humanity and, if you will, kindness n the relations at the official inter-State level," he said, adding that the prestige of the United Nations "could strengthen and enhance the role of the humanitarian or human component in multilateral and bilateral relations, namely in people-to-people and youth exchanges, cultural ties, social and educational programs, as well as cooperation in sports, science, technology, environment and health protection".

Putin has pledged that Russia will spare no effort to help settle regional conflict by peaceful means.

"I would like to underline again, that Russia will make every effort to contribute to peaceful political and diplomatic resolution of regional crises and conflicts, as well as to ensuring strategic stability," he said.

According to the Russian leader, other critically important point on the current agenda are joint efforts to protect the environment, and the problem of the climate change.

"The specialized multilateral UN conventions, treaties and protocols have proved fully relevant. We are calling on all states to comply with them in good faith, particularly in working to achieve the objectives of the Paris Agreement," Putin added.

The UN Charter remains the main source of international law, he noted.

"In 1945, Nazism was defeated, the ideology of aggression and hatred was crushed, and the experience and spirit of alliance, as well as the awareness of the huge price that had been paid for peace and our common Victory, helped construct the post-war world order. It was built on the ultimate foundation of the UN Charter that remains the main source of international law to this day," the Russian leader said.

"I am convinced that this anniversary makes it incumbent upon all of us to recall the timeless principles of inter-State communication enshrined in the UN Charter and formulated by the founding fathers of our universal Organization in the clearest and most unambiguous terms," Putin added.

"These principles include the equality of sovereign States, non-interference with their domestic affairs, the right of peoples to determine their own future, non-use of force or the threat of force, and political settlement of disputes," the Russian leader reminded.

"Looking back at the past decades, one can say that despite all difficulties of the Cold War period, major geopolitical shifts and all the intricacies of today's global politics, the UN has been ably fulfilling its mission of protecting peace, promoting sustainable development of the peoples and continents and providing assistance in mitigating local crises," he noted.

"This enormous potential and expertise of the UN is relevant and serves as a solid basis for moving ahead. After all, just like any other international organization or regional entity, the UN should not grow stiff, but evolve in accordance with the dynamics of the 21st century and consistently adapt to the realia of the modern world that is indeed becoming more complicated, multipolar and multidimensional," Putin stated.

United Nations Security Council permanent members must retain their veto power, Putin said.

The Russian leader noted that the global changes have an effect on the principal UN body, the Security Council, as well as on the debate concerning the approaches to its reform.

"Our logic is that the Security Council should be more inclusive of the interests of all countries, as well as the diversity of their positions, base its work on the principle of the broadest possible consensus among States and, at the same time, continue to serve as the cornerstone of global governance, which cannot be achieved unless the permanent members of the Security Council retain their veto power," Putin added.

The Russian leader pointed out that "such a right pertaining to the five nuclear powers, the victors of the Second World War, remains indicative of the actual military and political balance to this day".

"Most importantly, it is an essential and unique instrument that helps prevent unilateral actions that may result in a direct military confrontation between major States, and provides an opportunity to seek compromise or at least avoid solutions that would be completely unacceptable to others and act within the framework of international law, rather than a vague, gray area of arbitrariness and illegitimacy," he announced.

According to Putin, the diplomatic practice shows that "this instrument actually works, unlike the infamous pre-war League of Nations with its endless discussions, declarations without mechanisms for real action and with States and peoples in need not having the right to assistance and protection".