Need for regional cooperation amid COVID-19 pandemic: Op-ed

The outbreak of COVID-19 as a global health emergency and the resulting socio-economic crisis is a test for international cooperation. While a general lack of solidarity at the outset of the pandemic alarmed many about the efficiency of existing multilateral structures, there is a growing consensus that cooperation is key to cope with such global challenges, both at the international or global and regional level. 

Unfortunately, international cooperation and multilateralism were under significant stress before the outbreak of COVID-19, marked by unfair trade policies, whether existing or newly emerging, and a political discourse focusing on building walls between countries, people and cultures.

Now, everybody wakes up to the fact that borders and fences may be infiltrated by an invisible enemy - the virus. And the challenges it presents to global health and economic systems call for a coordinated response and a multilateral solution. 

Interestingly, regional organizations were among the first to ensure the level of multilateral coordination needed to fight against the pandemic and to recover from the crisis, as exemplified by the demonstration of solidarity in the Cooperation Council of Turkic Speaking States (Turkic Council) as a prompt and strong response to the pandemic.

The Turkic Council counts five Member States (Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Turkey and Uzbekistan) and the Observer State Hungary while closely engaging with Turkmenistan on different levels.  

Unlike many regional initiatives, whose formation was closely associated with reconciliation and stabilization efforts in post-conflict areas, the establishment of the Turkic Council was inspired by historical brotherhood ties, common language, culture and...