US Secretary of State discusses Corona issue with India and allies including Israel, Australia, South Korea and Brazil

Washington: Amid fears of the second wave of Coronavirus, US Secretary of State, Mike Pompeo, held discussions with allies including India. US State Department spokeswoman, Morgan Ortagus, informed that Israel, Australia, South Korea and Brazil were the other countries to participate in the discussions. Against this very background, Ron Malka, the Israeli Ambassador to India, indicated that there is good news expected to emerge, in respect of the Coronavirus pandemic, from the India-Israel cooperation.

The spread of the Coronavirus, which originated in China, is observed to be increasing by the day. At the same time, all the major countries of the world are vying to contain the spread of the pandemic. Many countries are collaborating for medicines, treatment and vaccine for Coronavirus and India has an important role in this front. The leading countries, the United States, Israel and the United Kingdom are collaborating with India, for research on Coronavirus.

Spokeswoman Morgan Ortagus informed regarding the discussions between the United States and the allies that the talks held by US Secretary of State, Mike Pompeo, with the Foreign Ministers of the allied countries were focussed on excellent coordination to counter the Coronavirus pandemic. The cooperation needs to be reliable, to provide an impetus to the economies and prevent the spread of misinformation, against the background of the pandemic. The US Secretary of State stressed the need to prepare for any such future pandemics.

The United States has taken the hardest hit of the Coronavirus pandemic, which originated from China. Therefore, the US leadership has opened fronts against China on every possible level. The United States is consistently quoting cooperation with India, in this matter. After the onset of the pandemic, US President Donald Trump had demanded supply of Hydroxychloroquine, the drug effective against Coronavirus, from India. India supplied the drug to the United States in vast quantities. The United States is also cooperating with Indian companies for the development of a vaccine for Coronavirus. Only last month, President Trump had made a statement regarding the increasing cooperation with India on the Coronavirus issue.

Israel, along with the United States, has started cooperating with India in the campaign against Coronavirus, and the statement of Ambassador Ron Malka underlines the importance of the cooperation. Malka said that the cooperation between India and Israel has become stronger, against the background of the Coronavirus pandemic. The Israeli defence department and the Indian defence research institute are working together on Coronavirus testing, and the good news is expected to emerge, soon, from this cooperation.

The laboratory, linked with the Israeli defence department, has succeeded in developing three antibodies against the Coronavirus. This development is considered to be an essential stage of research on Coronavirus. Israel had assured to share the invention with India.