Afghanistan’s request for Russia’s Sputnik V coronavirus vaccine is currently under consideration by the Russian government, and Kabul would like to receive the vaccine as soon as possible, Afghan Ambassador to Russia Said Tayeb Jawad told Sputnik in an interview.
When asked if he expected the first batch of the vaccine to arrive within the next few months, Jawad noted it depends on supply chains, also stressing that it is a top priority for Kabul, as the Afghan authorities “would like to see it there as soon as possible”.
“We appreciate very much that the Russian government is considering our request, we have submitted the request, and we hope to see actually this product, Sputnik V vaccine, being available in Afghanistan. I personally myself and my staff, we vaccinated [already]. This would very good for us to have access to the vaccine”, the ambassador continued.
The Afghan diplomat also expressed the belief that Sputnik V would probably be the first coronavirus vaccine available in his country.
“My last meeting [with Russian officials] was last week and I actually brought up this, and they said it’s under consideration. Right now, of course, the priority is actually to make the vaccine available to Russian citizens. We understand that. We welcome any kind of, any number [of vaccines] that is available because most probably if it moves fast, that will be probably the first vaccine available in Afghanistan,” Jawad said, noting that the vaccine would be on the agenda of the upcoming talks between Afghan Foreign Minister Mohammad Haneef Atmar and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov.
Jawad also confirmed that had absolutely no complaints after he got inoculated last Thursday.
Russia’s special presidential representative for Afghanistan, Zamir Kabulov, told Sputnik in January that Afghan companies were engaged in negotiations with Russian partners on conditions and volumes of the potential vaccine supplies.
Sputnik V, developed by the Gamaleya Research Institute of Epidemiology and Microbiology, was registered by Russia on 11 August, becoming the first registered vaccine against coronavirus in the world. During trials, the vaccine demonstrated over 90 percent efficiency, and has now been approved by 30 countries across the globe.
