North Macedonia has criticized the European Union for failing to provide adequate assistance in the COVID-19 vaccination process.
During a visit to Paris, Foreign Minister Bujar Osmani told AFP that his country “has been able to launch a modest vaccination campaign, thanks to the donation of several thousand doses of vaccines from Serbia”.
Osmani said he regretted the lack of EU assistance, adding that Brussels was sending the “wrong message” to the Balkans and that they should do more to help.
He added that the country ordered and paid for 800,000 doses of AstraZeneca vaccines through the World Health Organization’s Covax system. He also said that the country has ordered another 800,000 doses from Pfizer, but “nothing has come yet,” he said.
The Macedonian government is making efforts to provide the Chinese Sinopharm vaccine, the minister said, adding that he expects 200,000 to arrive in the coming days. The country was also gifted Pfizer vaccines from Serbia.
Earlier this week, Prime Minister Zoran Zaev said they will receive some 100,000 Sputnik V vaccines from Russia.
On Monday, Prime Minister Edi Rama commented on the fact that North Macedonia is looking at opportunities to receive vaccines from Russia and China. He described it as fatal.
He also levied significant criticism against the EU for its approach to vaccinating the Western Balkans.
“In terms of planning access to the Pfizer vaccines, the EU didn’t see beyond its own borders; it left the vaccination of people in our region to chance, or to what is called ‘an opportunity for bilateral agreements [with Pfizer],” he said.
