Cambodia seeks Russia’s Covid-19 vaccine

PHNOM PENH: Cambodia has requested Russia to provide them with its Covid-19 vaccine after the latter announced it planned on mass vaccinating its population next month.

The request was made through Prime Minister Hun Sen’s Facebook page after his meeting with Anatoly Borovik, the newly-appointed Russian ambassador to Cambodia.

According to reports in the Phnom Penh Post, Hun Sen also congratulated Russia on developing the vaccine.

He said the vaccine would help the world in its fight against the disease, which has disrupted the economies and societies of many countries.

The post read: “In the meantime, Samdech Techo (Hun Sen) requested Russia to provide a Covid-19 vaccine to Cambodia to help with the containment of the virus in the country.”

In mid-August, less than two months after vaccine trials started, Russian President Vladimir Putin announced that his country had developed a Covid-19 vaccine named Sputnik-V and approved it for use in Russia.

The country plans on vaccinating its people next month.

But some experts expressed concern about the safety of the vaccine because the trial period was so short.

The United Nations also insisted that Russia respect the international principles of developing any potential vaccine.

However, Cambodia’s Health Ministry spokesman Or Vandine previously said Cambodia would take a Covid-19 vaccine from any country only if it was recognised and approved by the World Health Organisation.

During the meeting with Borovik, Hun Sen mentioned the aid provided to Cambodia by the Russian government and its people in the past, especially during the 1980s when Cambodia was in a crisis after its liberation from the Khmer Rouge, the genocidal Pol Pot regime.

At that time, very few countries officially recognised Cambodia.

Borovik told Hun Sen that relations between Cambodia and Russia had been good for 64 years.