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Coronavirus pandemic

Ethiopia requests additional assistance from Russia to battle coronavirus, says ambassador

The ambassador also said that at a session of the bilateral intergovernmental commission on December 17, the sides discussed possible supplies of Russian coronavirus vaccines to Ethiopia

MOSCOW, February 2./TASS/. Ethiopia is waiting for Russia’s response to a request for additional assistance in the battle against coronavirus, Ethiopian Ambassador to Russia Alemayehu Tegenu Aargau said in an interview with TASS on Tuesday.

"Our countries have discussed at a high political level methods of fight against the pandemic," the ambassador said in comments on a meeting with the head of the Federation Council upper house’s Committee for International Affairs, Konstantin Kosachev, on January 21. "Ethiopia made a request for further assistance from the Russian Federation, and we are awaiting a response," Alemayehu Tegenu Aargau said.

The ambassador also said that at a session of the bilateral intergovernmental commission on December 17, the sides discussed possible supplies of Russian coronavirus vaccines to Ethiopia. "The Ethiopian Ministry of Health is looking into various options. We discussed this at a session of the intergovernmental commission. I hope we will see some results in the future," the diplomat said, adding that there were no concrete arrangements currently.

He also said that the meeting at the Federation Council had also discussed other aspects of cooperation, in particular political and economic ones. "The incumbent government of Ethiopia is closely cooperating with authorities of the Russian Federation. Our countries have a lot of things they could work together on. We have strong political, bilateral ties, but we must use this to develop economic cooperation," the ambassador stressed.

By today, two domestically-developed anti-coronavirus vaccines have been registered in Russia. One of them, Sputnik V, was developed by the Gamaleya National Research Center for Epidemiology and Microbiology of the Russian Health Ministry, the other one, Epivaccorona, was developed by the Vector Center.

Mass production of another Russian anti-coronavirus vaccine, Epivaccorona, will be launched in February 2021, Russian Deputy Prime Minister Tatiana Golikova said on January 18.

The registration of a third vaccine, created by the Russian Academy of Sciences’ Chumakov Federal Center of Research into and Development of Immune and Biological Products will be possible soon.

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Nearly half of those present in UN Security Council hall walk out before Israel’s address

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Iran intends to bolster military cooperation with Russia — envoy to Moscow

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Polish premier refuses to hand over his country’s Patriot systems to Ukraine

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Russia-China military-technical cooperation not directed against other states — diplomat

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