BAKU, Azerbaijan, March 14. The claim that the World Health Organization (WHO) threatens national sovereignty is a complete lie, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said during the opening ceremony of the XI Global Baku Forum, TurkicWorld reports.

He added that if the opportunity to conclude a pandemic agreement is lost, the consequences could be deplorable.

"The entire planet is at risk when healthcare is involved. We have seen how the pandemic has raised international geopolitical tensions. The question for today is: have we been able to draw any conclusions from the events? The 194 member states of WHO are now in negotiations over how best to handle the pandemic going forward. There are important areas where consensus has not yet been reached," the head of WHO added.

To note, Baku is hosting the XI Global Baku Forum organized by the Nizami Ganjavi International Centre (NGIC).

The event is attended by about 400 world-renowned professionals, as well as former and current world leaders, ministers, and Nobel Prize winners.