14 Sep 2021 10:19

No WHO officials made negative comments on Sputnik V, UN ready to buy Russian vaccine - Foreign Ministry

MOSCOW. Sept 14 (Interfax) - No officials of the World Health Organization (WHO) have made any negative comments regarding Russian Covid-19 vaccines, director of the Russian Foreign Ministry's Department of International Organizations Pyotr Ilyichev said in an interview with Interfax on Tuesday.

"As regards the WHO, to date none of this organization's officials have made a single negative comment on our vaccines and developments. On the contrary, the WHO administration has expressed many times its interest in the soonest possible inclusion of Sputnik V in the list of vaccines recommended for emergency use," Ilyichev said.

In particular, he was asked whether WHO officials are trying to somehow politicize the issue of certifying the Russian Covid-19 vaccine.

"The world is facing an acute shortage of vaccines for the novel coronavirus infection. In certain regions, for instance in African countries, less than 2% of the population has been vaccinated. The Russian vaccine is in demand, and the UN stands ready to buy it," he said.

"However, certification in the WHO is a complex, multi-step process, which was developed in the past in line with Western countries' standards. It requires time and serious efforts from our producers. We hope that this process will be successfully finalized in the near future," Ilyichev said.