The Russian Embassy in Albania has urged the Albanian government to negotiate with Russian authorities to purchase their ‘Sputnik-V” vaccine against COVID-19.
It follows criticism by Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama against the EU for ignoring Western Balkan countries in their plan to distribute the vaccine.
On Monday, the Russian embassy replied to a tweet by Rama’s senior advisor Endri Fuga, in which he also complained about the EU policy towards the Western Balkans.
“Dear Mr. Endri Fuga, we would like to inform you that the Russian Direct Investment Fund is authorized to negotiate with countries that are interested in purchasing vaccines against COVID-19. We have no doubt that Russia is ready to bring its “Sputnik-V” vaccine to Albania as well,” they informed the prime minister’s advisor.
The embassy further informed Fuga about the high demand and advantages of “Sputnik-V”.
Rama visited New York this month, amidst the pandemic, to meet with companies producing COVID-19 vaccines. He posted a pic with the CEO of Pfizer on his social media, from an undisclosed location, commenting that their vaccine is in high global demand.
The prime minister promised to work hard in meetings with other companies to provide Albanians with a vaccine.
Back in Albania, and following the Serbian government’s reception of a few thousands Pfizer/BioNtech vaccines, Rama criticized the EU for not including the Western Balkans in their plan for vaccine distribution, and vowed to bring a vaccine to Albanians by February.
On Monday, the European Commission announced that it has approved €70 million for Western Balkans to purchase COVID-19 vaccines.
