OREANDA-NEWS. The UN Security Council expressed its readiness to support conflict-affected countries in a pandemic. This was announced on Thursday by the Permanent Representative of the Dominican Republic, Jose Singer, who presides over the UN Security Council in April.

"Members of the UN Security Council expressed support for all the efforts of the UN Secretary General to help conflict-affected countries overcome the consequences of the pandemic", he said. "We call for unity and solidarity with all these countries", the diplomat added.

The UN Security Council held its first meeting on Thursday (in the form of a videoconference) on pandemic counteraction. The UN Secretary General António Guterres spoke at it, who appealed to the Security Council to demonstrate unity in the face of this threat. Russian Permanent Representative Vasily Nebenzya drew attention to the need to lift unilateral sanctions that could interfere with curbing the spread of coronavirus.

An outbreak caused by the new coronavirus disease was recorded at the end of December 2019 in Central China. On March 11, the World Health Organization recognized it as a pandemic.