[Ambassadors on fighting COVID-19]Turkey: Solidarity between countries essential to overcome the global health crisis

H.E. Abdulkadir Emin Onen, Turkish Ambassador to China, recently gave a written interview with China.org.cn about the COVID-19 epidemic. He indicated thatwhen facing global dangers such as COVID-19 pandemic,“itis our duty and responsibility towards our people and the future generations to work together to defeat and curb such a major problem.” He also noted thatitis important to benefit from China’s experience in terms of prevention and control efforts, clinical diagnosis and treatment of patients, andhow toreducethe number of patients in serious condition. Turkey appreciates these efforts and counts onthe solidarity between countries to overcome this global health crisis.

 Abdulkadir Emin Onen, Turkish Ambassador to China

China.org.cn: How do you think the world’s countries should collaborate in the battle against the COVID-19 epidemic as it spreads and becomes a common challenge for the international community?

Abdulkadir Emin Onen: The novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak has become one of the biggest challenges of our times.Ithas become a pandemic. When we face global dangers such as COVID-19 pandemic, it is our duty and responsibility towards our people and the future generations to work together to defeat and curb such a major problem.

The political, economic, social and health care cooperation between countries is important for preventing further spread of the virus and to control its potential damage on the economies of countries and social lives of the people. It is also significant to prevent a second wave of the outbreak in countries like China, which has controlled the outbreak to a level. China has accumulated experience during its fight with the outbreak and has been sharing this experience with the world.

Managing the damage on the global economy is another task of the international community. While fighting the COVID-19 outbreak, we must work together to protect the world economy. The Extraordinary G20 Leaders’ Summit held onMarch26 via video conference was an important step in this sense. During the meeting, Turkish President Erdoğan invited all countries to fight the global health crisis together in a fair way until the entire humanity can breathe normally.He said that we have a common destiny now and no country has the luxury to apply protectionist and unilateral policies, and all measures should be in conformity with the rules of World Trade Organization and promote international economic cooperation. President Erdoğan also emphasizedthat we shouldsupport the countries that are in urgent need.

I believe that as long as we fight together, we can win this battle against this common enemy of the humankind.

China.org.cn: China has kept the concept of humanity’s shared future in mind, released information about the COVID-19 virus in a timely manner, and shared its experiences related to prevention and control, diagnosis, and treatment since the outbreak emerged. What is your opinion of these kinds of efforts and contributions?

Abdulkadir Emin Onen: As Turkey, we have supported and commended the efforts and measures taken by the Chinese government to curb the outbreak in the country. It was in a short time that China has made positive progress in Wuhan and Hubei province, and has taken the situation under control in the rest of the country. I believe that China, with its previous experience during the SARS outbreak in 2003, has become one of the countries with most experience to tackle massive health issues like this.

Therefore, it is important to benefit from China’s experience in terms of prevention and control efforts, clinical diagnosis and treatment of patients, and decreasing the number of patients in serious condition. In addition, because it is a new type of coronavirus and there is no prior information about it, it is necessary for the countries around the world to cooperate in scientific research against COVID-19 and work together.

During the G20 meeting, Chinese President Xi Jinping has expressed that China will remember and cherish the friendship shown by countries when it was in difficulty. In view of the historical relations and traditional friendship between Turkey and China, we were one of the first countries to provide health materials to China through both official and private channels. The Turkish military plane sent to take the Turkish citizens in Wuhan back to our country was carrying urgently needed medical materials, and we delivered these supplies to authorities in Hubei province on February 1. This shows that Turkey cherishes its relations with China and we stand by China in solidarity and friendship.

We see that keeping the “common future of the mankind” in mind, China has been sharing its experience and medical and technical expertise with many other countries, including Turkey. When China was fighting the virus, the other countries stood by it, and now China is standing in solidarity with the rest of the world. China has also been sending emergency medical supplies to many countries. We appreciate these efforts and we count on this solidarity between countries to overcome this global health crisis.