Kathmandu, May 30 (UNI): Nepal has urged Russia to provide its indigenous Sputnik V anti-Covid-19 vaccine, the Russian press reported on Sunday.
As per the Russian official news agency Sputnik, Nepalese President Bidya Devi Bhandari has written a letter to Russian President Vladimir Putin regarding the vaccines.
“Nepalese President Bidya Devi Bhandari has written to Russian President Putin to continue vaccine diplomacy. She requested the assistance [in terms] of Sputnik V vaccine produced by Russia,” an unnamed government source was quoted by Sputnik as saying.
Nepal is looking to receive the vaccines as aid but is willing to negotiate the purchase as well. The Himalayan country had authorised Sputnik V for emergency use in April.
The landlocked country, which relies primarily on imports, has earlier received the complimentary one million doses of Covishield vaccine from India under the COVAX facility and the first instalment of one million procured doses from India earlier this year.
But the supply was put on halt as India was hardly hit by the second wave of Covid-19 and struggles to meet the domestic need for the vaccine. Russia has signed a deal with India to supply Sputnik V and started exporting to India.
