This article is from the source 'rtcom' and was first published or seen on . It last changed over 40 days ago and won't be checked again for changes.

You can find the current article at its original source at https://www.rt.com/russia/538934-putin-speaks-g20-videolink/

The article has changed 4 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.

Version 1 Version 2
Russian President Vladimir Putin delivers remarks at G20 summit via video link We need systemic way to update vaccines as mutating Covid-19 will be with us for a long time – Putin at G20
(32 minutes later)
Russian President Vladimir Putin is participating in a G20 session in Rome, Italy via video link. The summit will see world leaders discuss the state of the global economy amid the Covid-19 pandemic. World-leading nations need a working mechanism for systematically updating vaccines against Covid-19 as the virus mutates and recognizing each other’s vaccines, Vladimir Putin told a G20 summit.
The Group of Twenty (G20) comprises the world’s largest economies, including 19 industrialized and developing nations, and the European Union. The annual talks will focus on global economic recovery amid the Covid-19 pandemic and measures to curb climate change. “According to expert opinions, the coronavirus will remain a threat for a long time,” the Russian president said on Sunday while addressing G20 leaders via video link.
While US President Joe Biden and UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson have flown to Rome, Chinese President Xi Jinping is also attending the summit via video link. Putin added that more international cooperation is required in terms of mutual recognition of vaccines and immunization certificates by national governments.
“Competition that I believe to be unfair, protectionism, the unwillingness of certain states, including members of the G20” for such recognition impedes the global vaccination efforts and exacerbates inequality in vaccine access, he stressed.
The World Health Organization (WHO) has a major role to play as well, Putin added. “It’s crucial for the WHO to speed up the process of prequalification of new vaccines and therapeutics, i.e. the evaluation of their quality, safety and efficiency,” he said.
He reminded members that Russia’s pioneering Sputnik V vaccine and its single-component version Sputnik Light, which can serve as a booster shot to other vaccines, have been successfully used in many nations to protect their populations from Covid-19. Many Western nations don’t authorize vaccinations with the Russian vaccine and don’t recognize immunization with it for international travel.
Global economic recovery, including in industries like tourism that were most affected by the pandemic, depends on vaccination rates and elimination of health-related red tape between nations, Putin said.
The two-day summit of the heads of the world's 20 largest economies is underway in Rome. The leaders of China and Russia are taking part in it via a video link.
Think your friends would be interested? Share this story!Think your friends would be interested? Share this story!