(TAP)-Minister of Foreign Affairs, Migration and Tunisians Abroad Othman Jerandi on Thursday met with UN Secretary General António Guterres as part of his working visit to New York.

The UN’s efforts to combat the COVID-19 pandemic and the need to guarantee fair and urgent access to vaccines for all the world’s peoples were at the core of the meeting, according to a Foreign Ministry press release.

Jerandi deplored the “devastating” repercussions of the pandemic on, in particular, those countries that have not had access to sufficient quantities of vaccines.

He regretted that the efforts exerted within the framework of the “COVAX” initiative are still modest, given the huge needs of the world’s populations in terms of vaccines.

The FM called for more effective international solidarity under a new UN initiative to ensure immunisation for all people without exception.

The UN Secretary General considered for his part, that the persistence of the current health situation is synonymous with “suicide,” underlining the imperative to bridge the gap between peoples in terms of vaccination.

Besides, the two sides discussed the situation in Libya, notably with regard to its political transition process and the organisation of elections before the end of the current year.

The latest developments in the situation in Palestine were also discussed, according to the same press release.

Source: TAP News Agency