EPA/JIM LO SCALZO / POOL
Switzerland has expressed “deep” regret over US President Donald Trump’s decision to withdraw from the World Health Organization (WHO), Swiss Health Minister Elisabeth Baume-Schneider told the Swiss news agency Keystone-SDA in Davos on Tuesday. She described it as a rash move that undermines multilateral cooperation.
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“We will show that we are not intimidated,” said Baume-Schneider at the World Economic Forum (WEF). She stressed the importance of the WHO not just for Switzerland, but globally, especially since the Covid-19 pandemic.
“It’s not just about money,” she continued, noting that “countless lives have been saved” thanks to the organisation.
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Baume-Schneider mentioned that the Swiss government still needs to discuss Trump’s decision to pull the US out of the WHO. Trump signed the withdrawal just hours after his inauguration on Monday.
When asked about Switzerland’s role in relation to the Trump administration, while Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky described a Europe losing momentum, Baume-Schneider conveyed a message of a “strong” Switzerland. She echoed the sentiments of European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, who depicted Europe as strong despite the criticisms.
Translated from French with DeepL/sp
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