Foreign Minister Dr AK Abdul Momen today said Bangladesh wants to import five million doses of Sputnik COVID vaccine from Russia soon and the health ministry is working on it.
He also said numbers of Bangladeshi companies would go for co-production of Sputnik vaccine with Russia if they get the approval, reports BSS.
The foreign minister sought Russian government’s cooperation in this regard while the outgoing Russian ambassador to Bangladesh Alexandar I. Ignatov called on him at the foreign ministry here.
During the meeting, Dr Momen expressed his satisfaction over the progress and quality of under construction of Ruppur Nuclear Power Plant and lauded the works done by Russian experts and workers there.
Terming Russia as a tested friend of Bangladesh, the foreign minister recalled the profound support of Moscow during the Liberation War of Bangladesh in 1971.
He also expressed his gratitude to the Russian government for its support in Bangladesh’s development through implementing several numbers of mega projects here.
The outgoing envoy thanked the foreign minister and the Bangladesh government for providing him all-out support to deliver duties during his tenure here.
Later, the foreign minister told media that Russian, in principle, agreed to supply vaccine to Bangladesh as well as to initiate vaccine co-production with local pharmaceuticals companies here.
“In principle, we agreed that they (Russia) will supply (COVID vaccine here) … in principle, they also agreed that they (Russia) will go for (vaccine) co-production,” he said.
The foreign minister urged media to conduct a global campaign that rich nations of the worlds have been containing lion share of COVID vaccines while the poorer nations are desperately looking for mass inoculation.