Duma deputy promises Russian Covid-19 vaccines to Syrian doctors
MOSCOW. Oct 14 (Interfax) - Russian Covid-19 vaccines will start to be supplied to Syria in the near future, State Duma Foreign Affairs Committee head Leonid Slutsky said at a meeting with Syrian doctors in Moscow.
"I'm sure that during your current visit to Russia, the connections you'll acquire will help to properly oppose this horrible threat. Among other things, both the first and the second vaccine will begin to be shipped to the Syrian Arab Republic in the not very distant future," Slutsky said, referring to the Sputnik V and EpiVacCorona vaccines developed in Russia.
State Duma Deputy Chairman Pyotr Tolstoy said Russia stands ready to help its closest allies obtain a coronavirus vaccine.
"A lot of countries are interested in using this vaccine to protect their people. And I am sure such assistance will be provided to our closest allies in a priority manner," Tolstoy said.
Slutsky said Syria will be given priority among Russia's partners in receiving a coronavirus vaccine.
"Among the partner countries that are looking to receive vaccines, Syria has been and will be prioritized," he said.
The meeting between Duma deputies and Syrian doctors was arranged as part of the Russian-Syrian forum Medicine Without Borders. To participate in the forum, a delegation of young healthcare professionals from Syria, including epidemiologists, surgeons, and military doctors, arrived in Moscow to exchange experience and promote professional and scientific ties. The forum was organized by the Russian Federal Agency for CIS Affairs, Compatriots Living Abroad, and International Humanitarian Cooperation (Rossotrudnichestvo), with support from the Russian-Syrian Business Council and the Syrian embassy in Moscow.