Q: As we are talking on the eve of the Republic Day, which is usually associated with celebrations, can you please tell us what’s going to happen this year in India?
Ambassador: Well of course, tomorrow 26th January is the day of the founding of our Republic. We established the Constitution of India on 26th January, 1950, which has ensured the functioning of the largest democracy in the world, which has ensured the political and economic well being of more than 1.3 billion people. So despite the COVID pandemic situation, this will be celebrated tomorrow with great fervor and respect for the founding document of the largest democracy in the world. But tomorrow is also for us to rededicate ourselves to the special and privileged strategic partnership between India & Russia which has progressed over the decades from strength to strength.
Foreign Minister Lavrov, in his press conference on the 18th of January, described the relations between India & Russia as “very close, very strategic, very special and of great friendship between India & Russia, which is a very accurate description of the strategic partnership between India & the Russian Federation.
Q: As a followup to what you just said about the cooperation between our countries, as we know India is manufacturing Russia’s Sputnik V Vaccine. As for you, why has India chosen Sputnik?
Ambassador: It doesn’t come as a surprise that we have such a long tradition of cooperation between India & Russia. That cooperation continued during the COVID pandemic, so when the RDIF chief Mr Kiriil Dmitriev approached the Indian authorities for the testing of the Sputnik vaccine, this was welcomed in India. The phase-II trials of Sputnik vaccine have been completed. Phase 3 trials have commenced and we are sure that as soon as the regulatory approvals are given in India, it will be available for use in India.
But as you know, India is one of the great places for manufacturing of vaccines. We have the capacity to manufacture more than 60% of the world’s vaccines, and of course the RDIF has been in touch with a number of very good Indian companies to take this forward and we expect in the next couple of weeks, Sputnik vaccine, after its regulatory approval, will be available for use in India, and also for export to Russia and other countries.
As we speak, this is a process on the way, but I am hopeful of a successful conclusion in the next few weeks.
Q: If I may ask you, that we ask almost everyone nowadays, have you already taken the jab?
Ambassador: Of course. I took it last week. The first dose of Sputnik vaccine. I feel perfectly well. Many of my colleagues in the embassy have done so as well, and I am absolutely certain that this is part of the normal precautions that we take during the pandemic situation. Just as we wear a mask, we have social distance. It is also good to take scientifically proven vaccines. And of course, the Sputnik vaccine is one such vaccine.
Q: Great. Let’s move to India’s affairs. India has launched one of the biggest vaccination campaigns in the world. Just give us some more details on that. Does it manage to stick to the schedule? Because many countries in Europe and in the first world have failed to be on time.
Ambassador: Indeed. When Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressed the UN General Assembly, he made a promise to the world that when the vaccines are available in India, India will use them not just for its own needs, but for the needs of the entire humanity. This is consistent with our Indian family that the world is one family and therefore we have a need and a responsibility to share what we have.
Therefore, India began its national vaccination campaign on 16th January. We have already done more than 1.6 million vaccinations. This number is slowly increasing and will reach a very respectable figure, as we move forward, as our production increases.
Our aim is to finally cover the vaccination of 300 million Indians. It is one of the largest vaccination programs in the world. But, at the same time, we wish to reach out to our dear friends and neighbors and we have done so. We have given vaccination doses - supplies have been sent by air to Nepal, Bhutan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Myanmar, Seychelles, Maldives. And this is just the beginning. We have also sent our dear friends in BRICS - Brazil - a full consignment of vaccines which has already arrived. We are in touch with a number of other countries - Saudi Arabia, Morocco, and others.
India has already been approached by over 90 countries for its assistance in supplying vaccines produced in India. India is known as the pharmacy of the world, because we have such a big capacity in production of vaccines, production of medicines. Like in the past, we intend to share this. We call it “Vaccine Maitri” - Vaccine Friendship.
We do not believe in vaccine competition. We do not believe in vaccine nationalism. We believe in vaccine cooperation and friendship, and we intend to extend our hand of friendship to support the vaccination program of a number of countries who are in need of this, and we will work through the UN, the WHO as we move forward. I am sure, in the weeks ahead, there will be cooperation between India and Russia on the global vaccination programmes, and there will be great potential for cooperation because a number of the vaccines produced in India will also be used abroad, and that will include the Russian Sputnik vaccine that will be produced in India.
Interviewer: How difficult is it for the country to meet the demand inside the country and to export the vaccine to other countries?
Ambassador: Well, it is important for the vaccine to reach the health workers both in India and abroad. We already have a production capacity of 80 million doses. From the 80 million doses, we are already sharing what we have. But this 80 million doses is only the beginning, this number will increase and as the number increases, we will be in a position to increase the number of doses we share with foreign countries.
But it is very clear, India wants to share what it already has. That is in contrast to some other countries who wish to focus on their own needs first. But India, through its spirit of friendship and international cooperation, called the philosophy that the world is one big family, so everybody’s needs are important, so are the needs of India and we intend to combine this, and I am confident that because of India’s capacity to produce millions and millions of doses, we can meet both objectives very soon.
Interviewer: As you may know, especially in the West, are trying to launch smear campaigns to criticize or to discredit Russia’s vaccine. What do you think of that?
Ambassador: No, vaccines are essential for human health, health security, Vaccines should be addressed in terms of science, evidence, facts & figures, trials. Politicization of the vaccine program is neither good for the human health security needs nor for our common objective which is to break the cycle of the COVID pandemic so that people can return to normalcy very soon. The good news is that, both in India & Russia, the high numbers are slowly coming down, which is extremely good news. The number of new cases is coming down, the number fo deaths is coming down, and we hope that along with increased vaccination, both in Russia & India, we would have turned the collar for the better, and hope to see the return of normalcy in the coming months.
Interviewer: I can’t help but ask you about tourism. India is a point for tourists, not only from Russia, but from all over the world, especially Goa. How hard was the industry hit by the COVID crisis, and is it going to get back to normal?
Ambassador: Of course, tourism was one of the industries that was affected worldwide, India was no exception because of the lack of international flights, and I can tell you that the tourist picture in India is incomplete, without the joy that we get in welcoming tourists from Russia. So, we are very eager to recommence the tourist season, but it will depend on the views of the health authorities and the ability of the international airlines to resume normal flights. As we speak Aeroflot is in touch with the civilian air authorities in India, so see if they can begin at least two flights in a week. In the next couple of weeks, we expect to see a positive answer. But the return to normalcy will be slow and steady. It is better that we take precautions now, but whenever the tourist season begins, we will be very happy to welcome our dear Russian friends and tourists back to India, especially in Goa which is such a popular destination.
Interviewer: Some countries are discussing the introduction of the so-called COVID passports. That they may kickstart tourism, cross border tourism.
Ambassador: Well this is something that should be taken through international consensus. It is a very complicated matter. It is best left to the experts at the health authorities of each country to determine what is the best manner possible, but of course precautions are absolutely essential - wearing the mask, social distancing and now a greater number of vaccinations. Once the numbers come down, normalcy will return, but until then some extraordinary measures may be necessary but we will leave it to the experts to decide.
Interviewer: Thank you so much
Ambassador: Thank you. All the best to you and your viewers.
