MOSCOW, May 17. /TASS/. Freetown is grateful to Moscow for timely humanitarian aid and the supplies of the Sputnik V vaccine against the background of a complex epidemic situation, Sierra Leonean Foreign Minister David Francis said at a press conference following talks with his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov on Monday.

"Allow me to thank Russia, on behalf of the government and our people, for the humanitarian aid that was sent to us, in particular the test systems for the presence of the coronavirus that were delivered to us in the amount of 10,000 units which we received at the moment when we needed them the most," he said.

The top diplomat conveyed "the personal gratitude" of Sierra Leonean President Julius Maada Bio to Russian President Vladimir Putin for the supplies of the Russian Sputnik V vaccine. "We know that you are also going through a difficult time yet you have always supported us, we are hoping that this support is continued," the top diplomat added.