MOSCOW, April 9. /TASS/. The Presidents of Russia and Turkey - Vladimir Putin and Recep Tayyip Erdogan - focused on supply and possible production of Sputnik V COVID-19 vaccine, the Kremlin said on Friday after the two leaders’ phone conversation.

"They voiced readiness to boost cooperation in that field (the fight against coronavirus - TASS), including in the context of deliveries and possible joint production of the Russian vaccine Sputnik V," the statement said.

The Kremlin pointed out that the two leaders "held an in-depth discussion on the fight against the spread of coronavirus infections."

In January, a representative of the Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF) informed about an agreement with a leading Turkish pharmaceutical company on the production of Sputnik V in Turkey. It was later reported about the beginning of negotiations on supply of the Russian vaccine to Turkey. On April 9, Turkish Health Minister Fahrettin Coja said that the interim results of toxicological studies of the Russian vaccine were good. He had earlier promised that the vaccine would be ready for widespread use after the trials were completed.

Russia was the world’s first nation to register its coronavirus vaccine on August 11, 2020. The vaccine was named Sputnik V. Its 91.6% efficacy was confirmed by the publication of data in The Lancet, a world-acclaimed medical journal. Sputnik V is among the world’s top three coronavirus vaccines in terms of approvals issued by government regulators. To date, Sputnik V has been registered by more than 50 counties with a cumulative population of over 1.3 billion.