World Health Organization (WHO) Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus announced at the media briefing on Covid-19 that at least 23 countries from five of six WHO regions have now reported cases of Omicron, and the number is expected to grow. “WHO takes this development extremely seriously, and so should every country. I thank Botswana and South Africa for detecting, sequencing and reporting this variant so rapidly. We call on all countries to take rational, proportional risk-reduction measures, in keeping with the International Health Regulations,” Adhanom said. He also urged countries not to apply blanket bans on travel as they will not prevent the international spread of Omicron, and they place a heavy burden on lives and livelihoods.
The 17th Summit of the Economic Cooperation Organization (ECO) convened in Khankendi, Azerbaijan, with the participation of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and other regional leaders. Hosted by Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev, the summit brought together heads of state and government from Iran, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Pakistan, and the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC).
In his speech, President Erdoğan criticized Israel’s regional actions, stating, “We can neither abandon the Palestinian cause nor remain silent as the Netanyahu administration turns our region into a bloodbath.” Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian defended recent Iranian military actions under the UN Charter’s right to self-defense. Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev said, “Currently, Azerbaijan is building new cities and villages on the lands that Armenia turned into ruins, the Great Return program is being implemented.”
Established in 1985 as a continuation of the earlier RCD platform, the ECO aims to boost regional cooperation among its 10 member states. The summit, held every two years, facilitates joint initiatives across sectors such as trade, transport, energy, and health.
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