Kazakh envoy says 'proud to see India taking lead role' on COVID-19

Ambassador of Kazakhstan to India Yerlan Alimbayev on Monday said that he is proud to see New Delhi taking a lead role in enhancing efforts to fight coronavirus pandemic and assured his country's full cooperation to combat the deadly infection.

"It was a good idea actually. We watched the conference yesterday. I am very proud to see that India is taking the lead role and all the steps that were proposed by Prime Minister Modi are very useful and timely, which we support. We are ready to cooperate and work jointly," the ambassador told ANI.

Participants from all eight SAARC nations -- India, Pakistan, Nepal, Afghanistan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, the Maldives, and Bhutan -- held a video conference to exchange their views and share experiences in fighting the pandemic that has killed more than 6,000 people globally.

The conference witnessed Prime Minister Modi proposing the creation of a COVID-19 emergency fund based on voluntary contributions from all the countries, with India making an initial offer of USD 10 million for the fund.

Speaking about the impact of the rapidly spreading coronavirus infection in Kazakhstan, the envoy recalled that President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev announced the state of emergency from March 16 to April 15 as a total number of confirmed cases surged to eight on Sunday.

"When it actually started in China, we had then started taking precautionary measures. Now, we have the president announcing the state of emergency in the country. There are some travel restrictions for the citizens of the country as well as the foreigners," Alimbayev added.

The ambassador further revealed that the Embassy of Kazakhstan in New Delhi will be hosting an exhibition showcasing the 'Heritage of the Great Steppe: Masterpieces of Jewelry Art' this week.

The exhibition will be organised by the National Museum of the Republic of Kazakhstan in collaboration with the Ministry of Culture and Sports of the Republic of Kazakhstan to showcase the unique culture of the central Asian country.

The Kazakh Embassy will also present a virtual show for online visitors in the backdrop of the coronavirus.

According to an estimate from Johns Hopkins University cited by CNN, the novel coronavirus has killed more than 6,500 worldwide.