India sends domestically produced vaccines to Serbia: 'Buttressing our bond with Belgrade'

In an effort to further boost its vaccine diplomacy, India had sent hundreds of doses of domestically produced vaccines to Serbia. On February 21, External Affairs Minister Dr S Jaishankar took to Twitter to reveal that the vaccine jabs have already arrived in the Balkan nation. “Made in India vaccines now arrive in Serbia. Buttressing our bond with Belgrade”, he wrote.

Alongside, he also shared pictures from a Serbian airport that showed workers unloading boxes of Indian vaccines. India has won global praise for its vaccine distribution programme to aid poor countries amidst the global pandemic. As of now, the country has gifted domestically produced vaccines- Covaxin AND Covishield- to over 20 countries, including those in the Caribbean.

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India garners praise

Last month, United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres denominated the vaccine production capacity of India as the "best asset" that the world has today while calling for India to play a major role in the global vaccination campaign.  So far, India has distributed 22.9 million doses under its “Vaccine Friendship” programme out of which 64.7 lakh doses have been supplied as a grant.

The Narendra Modi led administration has also garnered plaudits from neighbouring nations to which it sent 55 lakh doses. "From 20th January 2021 onward, we have gifted over 55 lakh doses of coronavirus vaccines to our neighbouring countries and in the extended neighbourhood--1.5 lakh to Bhutan, 1 lakh to Maldives, Mauritius, and Bahrain, 10 lakhs to Nepal, 20 lakhs to Bangladesh, 15 lakhs to Myanmar, 50,000 to Seychelles, 5 lakh to Sri Lanka,” External affairs ministry spokesperson had said.

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Read: UN Chief Calls India's Vaccine Production Capacity 'best Asset' World Has Today

This comes as the CEO of Serum Institute of India (SII) Adar Poonawalla on February 21 made an appeal asking the world to be patient as the Indian government has asked his company to prioritise the internal vaccine needs and then balance the requirement of vaccine globally. 

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar announced at an open debate of UN Security Council the 'implementation of resolution 2532 (2020) on the cessation of hostilities' in the context of Covid-19 outbreak. Followed by this development, India earlier this week announced that it will gift 2 lakh doses of vaccines for UN peacekeepers.