Union external affairs minister S Jaishankar stated that international travel on the basis of coronavirus testing is “good enough” even as some countries have introduced the requirement for vaccination, and called for the need to reach an understanding.
Addressing a joint press conference after meeting his Russian counterpart, Sergey Lavrov S Jiashankar further said, “People who are tested before for international travel and tested on arrival is a good enough basis for travel, but some countries have now introduced the issue of vaccination,”
Jaishankar added that he and Lavrov had discussions on how travellers from various countries are not “discriminated against” and how “understandings” regarding the travel of Indians and Russians to each other’s countries can be reached.
The minister also stated that the ongoing pandemic has allowed Russia and India to exhibit the strength of their cooperation, and the production of the Sputnik vaccine is one of them. “I think we have to protect our population and help the world, and the two go together with that they are part of the same issue,” Jaishankar added during the conference.
Jaishankar also stated that India is Russia’s “partner in the production of Sputnik-V vaccine” and that this approach is not only good for both the countries, but also for the rest of the world.
Notably, The Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF) has joined hands with the Indian pharmaceutical firm ‘Dr Reddy’s’ to manufacture and produce the Sputnik-V vaccine in India. The RDIF has also inked a collaboration with Stelis Biopharma, Gland Pharma, Virchow Biotech, Hetero Biopharma, Panacea Biotec, and Morepen Laboratories to produce Covid-19 vaccines in India.
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