New Delhi/Davos, Jan 19 (PTI) Calling for greater international cooperation to fight the COVID-19 pandemic, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz on Wednesday said the world may run out of Greek alphabet letters for new variants of the virus without a truly global immunisation campaign.
In a special address at the World Economic Forum’s online Davos Agenda 2022 summit, he also cautioned that borders in Europe must not be moved by force and it was impossible to stay silent after years of rising tensions around Ukraine’s border with Russia.
There has been a growing apprehension in some quarters as Russia preparing to invade Ukraine as it has reportedly stationed nearly 1,00,000 troops near the border with the neighbouring country.
In his first speech at a global forum since becoming Chancellor in December after 16 years of his predecessor Angela Merkel being at the helm, Scholz said there is a clear commitment to Ukraine’s territorial integrity though it is not yet possible to say whether the situation on Russia-Ukraine border could be de-escalated with intensive diplomatic contacts.
“After years of growing tensions, silence is not a reasonable option… Strength of the law must be upheld, and not the law of the strongest,” Scholz said.
On the COVID-19 pandemic, Scholz said it is important to have international cooperation and dialogue.
“Big advantage we have over the virus is we can cooperate, and we do,” he said.
However, he warned that “without a truly global immunisation campaign, we will soon run out of letters in the Greek alphabet for new variants of the virus”.
In his address, Scholz also outlined the magnitude of the task facing Germany to become net-zero.
“Change only works if it is by the people, for the people… We will no longer wait for the slowest and least ambitious,” he said.
He called for a ‘paradigm shift’ in international climate policy.
The Federal Chancellor said if we want global progress, we must overcome the divisions that currently hamper us. PTI BJ MKJ
