Albania will receive today 10,000 doses from the Russian vaccine “Sputnik V”, against the COVID-19.
A few days ago the government issued orders that allowed the importing of vaccine from Russia and China, and their distribution among the population.
The Albanian Health Minister, Ogerta Manastirliu, declared from the Rinas Airport that Albania is expecting more vaccines in the days to come.
The Albanian Prime Minister, Edi Rama, reacted on Twitter and said that the 10,000 doses are a gift to Albania from the Prince of the United Arab Emirates, Muhammed Bin Zayed.
“Very soon there will be other considerable quantities of vaccines which will allow us to increase the daily vaccination rate, so that we can leave this vicious war behind”, Rama wrote on social media.
Also read: Rama’s changed approach towards Eastern vaccines, following the Serbian model
The normative acts taken recently by the Albanian government have made the Albanian Prime Minister completely refute his own declarations regarding the origin of the vaccines that Albania would import.
From a country that would be loyal to the EU even as regards vaccines, Albania will now look for Eastern vaccines as well, following the same path as Serbia, just several months later.
At first, it was said that Albania would only take Western vaccines. Even when Russia offered itself to bring the necessary doses, the Albanian side reacted badly.
“I thought it was a meme”, said Rama at that time. “It is completely inappropriate for a serious country to make such provocations. They should apologize”.
Rama supported this approach on this fact under the argument that Albania would open itself to foreign vaccines only when the EU would do so, to stay loyal to Brussels till the end.
“If the EU will open its market to the Russian and Chinese vaccines, we will immediately review this approach. As long as the EU remains closed to these options, we stay on the same line with the EU”, Rama said.
Serbia, on the other hand, a country that also is negotiating for EU accession, proudly announced that they would use Chinese and Russian vaccines as well. Rama, at this time was declaring: “We chose the vaccines produces in the West because we are part of the European families without making double games”.
This stance completely changed last week when the government passed two decisions that allowed the purchase for these vaccines and their usage in our country/
In the meantime, Serbia has taken the rights for producing Chinese and Russian vaccines. This means that Rama won’t need to look very far. The shop for the Russian and Chinese vaccines will now be in Belgrade, where his friendship with Vucic might help negotiate even after closing hours.