Sri Lankan and Russian institutes to cooperate in vaccine production

COLOMBO (News 1st); Foreign Minister Gunawardena has welcomed Russia’s assistance in accessing the Sputnik V vaccine to support Sri Lanka’s nationwide inoculation programme, as well as ongoing cooperation between the relevant institutes of epidemiology and biotechnology in producing the vaccine.

Foreign Minister Dinesh Gunawardena in a telephone conversation with the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation Sergey Lavrov on Monday (07 June 2021) expressed his deep appreciation for the support extended by Russia towards Sri Lanka in addressing the challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Bilateral consultations being scheduled within the framework of the two Foreign Ministries, as well as the Intergovernmental Commission on Trade, Economic, Scientific and Technical Cooperation, were among other issues discussed.

Dr. Prasanna Gunasena, the Chairman of the State Pharmaceuticals Corporation (SPC) of Sri Lanka said Sri Lanka will receive positive news with respect to securing the AstraZeneca vaccine from Japan, in the coming weeks.