Addressing the event, Deputy Foreign Minister To Anh Dung thanked the French and Italian governments and people for supporting Vietnam in the COVID-19 fight.
This is evidence of the dynamic development of the strategic partnership between Vietnam and the two European countries as well as their friendship and solidarity to overcome the pandemic, he stated.
Dung spoke highly of the initiative to set up the COVAX mechanism to ensure fair and equal access to COVID-19 vaccines in the globe, with France and Italy being among leading E.U. donors.
He expressed belief that the valuable support that France and Italy give to Vietnam and ASEAN countries will help speed up the countries’ reopening process, facilitating people's travel.
Deputy Minister of Health Tran Van Thuan affirmed that the ministry will soon allocate the vaccine to localities for highest efficiency.
On behalf of the COVAX mechanism, Dr. Kidong Park, World Health Organization Representative in Vietnam, thanked France and Italy for providing the vaccine to Vietnam through COVAX, noting that so far, Vietnam has received 11.7 million of COVID-19 vaccine doses via the mechanism.
For his part, French Ambassador to Vietnam Nicholas Warnery said that France’s donation of 672,000 COVID-19 vaccine doses to Vietnam manifests the solidarity and mutual support with Vietnam in difficult time as well as the successful and long-term cooperation in health care between the two countries.
Along with financial contributions, France has committed to sharing 60 million COVID-19 vaccine doses through COVAX in 2021 with an aim to pushing back the pandemic in the world, he said.
Paolo Epifani from the Italian Embassy in Vietnam lauded Vietnam’s efforts to control COVID-19, adding that he hopes 812,060 doses of COVID-19 vaccine provided by Italy will help speed up vaccinations in Vietnam.
So far, France and Italy have been the leading providers of COVID-19 vaccines to Vietnam among EU countries.
Source: VNA