India on Thursday, Oct 14,  backed the World Health Organization’s (WHO) decision to create an expert group to examine the origins of new pathogens, including the coronavirus that causes Covid-19, and said all countries should cooperate with the probe. WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus announced the launch of the Scientific Advisory Group for the Origins of Novel Pathogens (Sago) at a news briefing on Wednesday, and Michael Ryan, executive director of WHO’s health emergencies programme, said this represented the “last chance” to determine the origins of Sars-CoV-2.

Responding to WHO’s announcement, China warned against any “political manipulation” of the renewed probe into the origins of Covid-19.

India has consistently backed all moves by WHO to establish the origins of the Covid-19 pandemic, which first emerged in Wuhan, China, and called on all stakeholders, including China, to cooperate with such efforts. External affairs ministry spokesperson Arindam Bagchi reiterated this position when he was asked about the new expert group at a regular news briefing on Thursday.

“Let me just reiterate what we have stated till now – we have our interest in further studies and data on this issue of the origin [of the coronavirus] and the need for understanding and cooperation by all concerned,” he said, without naming China.