CHISINAU, June 8. /TASS/. The production of the Russian Sputnik V vaccine is being planned to be set up in Moldova, talks with Russian partners are currently underway, leader of the Party of Socialists, Moldova’s former President Igor Dodon told the First in Moldova TV channel on Tuesday.

"There is already an experience of many countries: both Serbia and Belarus who launched their own domestic production of Sputnik V. This is not science fiction - we want to launch the production of Sputnik V in Moldova and we’ve already started the negotiations with our Russian partners," the politician said. He emphasized that he was "confident in the success because the pharmaceutical sector in Moldova has always been and remains at a decent level." He thinks that it is important to establish the production of the Russian vaccine as soon as possible because, similarly to last fall, another surge of the pandemic may be expected.

The leader of socialists also reported that another batch of the Sputnik V jab is expected in Chisinau next week. "I intend to get a shot from this batch," he noted.

The inoculation drive with the Sputnik V vaccine was launched in Moldova in May. By now, the republic has already received over 600,000 doses of vaccines that were supplied within the framework of the international COVAX initiative, as well as by Russia, Romania and China. Moldova received Sputnik V and the vaccines by AstraZeneca, Pfizer and Sinopharm.