It is in the European Union's interests to provide assistance to Africa to combat the spread of COVID-19, as a rapid rise in the number of cases could result in the disease spreading back to Europe, the EU's foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said during a press briefing after the conclusion of a video conference of EU foreign ministers on Friday
MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 03rd April, 2020) It is in the European Union's interests to provide assistance to Africa to combat the spread of COVID-19, as a rapid rise in the number of cases could result in the disease spreading back to Europe, the EU's foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said during a press briefing after the conclusion of a video conference of EU foreign ministers on Friday.
"We have to help Africa in our own interests, because if the pandemic spreads there, it will come back to Europe," Borrell said.
Brussels' foreign policy chief said that Africa is of particular concern to the EU, in part due to the comparative lack of doctors and beds there to combat the disease.
"If we don't solve the problem in Africa, we will not solve it in Europe. Africa is of particular concern to us. They are our neighbors, and the pandemic there could get out of control very rapidly," Borrell said.
Consequently, the EU must work to control the spread of COVID-19 in Africa, and development ministers will discuss an aid package to deliver to the continent in the coming week, the foreign policy leader said.
"I've been calling for a meeting of the ministers of development, which will take place next week, and there together we are going to put our efforts and capacities in a kind of 'Team Europe' where the resources of the European Union institutions, the member states, will create a package in order to try to help the African countries that are ... in a much bigger, much more fragile situation than we are," Borrell stated.
On Friday, the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention announced that the total number of confirmed COVID-19 cases on the continent since the start of the outbreak has surpassed 7,000.
