This evening, 200,000 doses of the Moderna vaccine have arrived in Serbia, as a donation from Poland. This is the first time the Moderna vaccine has arrived in Serbia.
The vaccines have been delivered to the Institute of Virology, Vaccines and Sera ‘Torlak’, in the presence of Jadranka Joksimović, the Minister of European Integration, Mirsad Đerlek, a State Secretary in the Ministry of Health, Vladmir Orlić, Deputy Speaker of the Serbian National Assembly, Szymon Szynkowski vel Sęk, a Secretary of State at the Polish Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and Małgorzata Gosiewska, Deputy Marshal of the Polish Sejm.
With the arrival of the Moderna vaccine, Serbian citizens will now have five available vaccines.
The value of the donation is EUR 4 million.
“True friendship is what characterises the relations between our two peoples, and today’s event confirms it”, said Minister Joksimović.
“This is a bilateral donation, I am glad that the vaccines arrived as a donation from Poland, and that our citizens will be able to get vaccinated”, noted Joksimović.
She has said that, earlier this year, when Serbia was the first in Europe to get the vaccines, ministers from the EU called her to congratulate Serbia on the success in the fight against the pandemic.
“And now we’ve come to the point where I have to tell them that we are below the European average when it comes to the number of vaccinated people, and that is the responsibility of every Serbian citizen”, stressed the Minister.
She has added that she is truly grateful to the Polish guests, noting that Poland can always count on Serbia’s solidarity.
“Support and solidarity are key in the fight against the pandemic, and, in Poland, the word solidarity has a special meaning when it comes to Serbia and the Serbian people, primarily because of our two nations’ shared history”, said Szymon Szynkowski vel Sęk, a Secretary of State at the Polish Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
“This donation is a real result of the cooperation between Poland and Serbia, as well as the result of the fight against the coronavirus. The assistance Poland is providing is important for the friendship of the two nations, and joint cooperation of our countries will continue in the future”, stressed Szynkowski vel Sęk.
Małgorzata Gosiewska has recalled that, during her previous visit to Serbia, she promised to open a group of Serbian–Polish friendship, adding that she has done exactly that.
“I have to say that, just as Poland is demonstrating solidarity in terms of the fight against the virus, we are also supporting Serbia on its European path. I believe that together we can give Europe a lot”, conveyed Gosiewska.
Orlić has underlined the importance of the donation, since, according to him, it is a considerable and important number of doses for the Serbian people. He has said that what is crucial is the message this sends, and that is the message of friendship and solidarity.
“Our country has also had an opportunity to help both in Europe and in other continents, in terms of vaccines. We understand that this is the best way to join forces and protect our people and all the people in the world, the best way to preserve health and fight the pandemic at the global level”, said Orlić.
The batch of 200,000 doses will save many lives in Serbia, stated Đerlek, adding that solidarity and equality are the principles under which COVID-19 can be bested.
“Although around seven billion doses have been administered around the world and around 40 % of the world population has been vaccinated, we still must insist on solidarity, particularly because of the countries in Africa, because until everyone in the world recovers, no one will. We must increase the global vaccination percentage to 60 or 70 % so as to be able to return to normal”, said Đerlek.
Source: Tanjug
