A Exclusive Comment to CASS

                  We need cooperation to combat the Virus

I believe that a response to the challenges and human risks ofCOVID-19 could be found within the concept of a “community with a shared future for mankind” or “community of common destiny”, developed and advocated strongly last years by Chinese President Xi Jinping. He has clearly provided, more than 2 years ago, that “mankind is in an era of major development as well as profound transformation and change…, in an era of numerous challenges and increasing risks…”. He was entirely right! As we see today, these challenges and the increasing risks are quite present in our life, including our standard of living.  

In fact, based on the gravity of the actual entwined public health and economic crises, what is now required isa clear support for national and global health initiatives and emergency measures to restore as soon as possible the national and global economy. Both crises require world leaders able to think and to change the current capacity of our existing international institutions (such as WHO, IMF, WB, WTO, etc.) and,above all, to build a new mentality. Very important must be a coordinated approach in tackling the global economic recovery post-COVID-19, particularly that of developing countries. However, the economic emergency will not be resolved until the health emergency will be effectively addressed through new medical treatments or anti-virus medicaments. And of course, the health emergency will not end simply by conquering the disease in one country alone, but by ensuring health and economic recovery from Covid-19 in all countries.

Finally, with these simple lines, I want to draw attention to any human being and, above all, to any decision maker on the scale of danger of the problems we are facing today or will face further in the near future with the outbreak of the COVID -19 pandemic. And for any conscious politician and fair state man: this disease becoming practically global needs a strong global response. Unfortunately, the pandemic risk was not fully understood at the beginning of the disease and the respective initial measures in some countries of Europe, particularly in Central and Eastern Europe were relatively weak. The situation was much more vexatious in some countries of Western Balkans, Albania included, where were applying the severe social distancing as the main way in delaying the spread of pandemic…

As it is clear today, the pandemic risk and joined economic retrograde are becoming very serious in many countries, including the powerful economies such as that of USA or of those in Western Europe such as in Italy, Spain, France,UK or Germany. The situation could be worse in the poorest countries. Thus,step by step, the COVID-19 pandemic could become very disastrous for all countries in the world. For that trivial reason, considering our common world as a community of common destiny, our response must be further a global one in both fields: health and economy.

I believe that this collective response to mitigate the consequences of COVID-19 around the globe is crucial for our sake and that of generations to come. Thus, being more and more together, we will win! And,more, considering the last concrete experiences related to the social distancing or the further developing online of many aspects of the human activity, we must think and elaborate new ideas in building a new framework of international relations and promoting or improving global governance, instead of wrong protectionism,boosting together the common interests of mankind. 

Prof. Dr. Rexhep Meidani

Former President of Albania (1997-2002)