BELGRADE (Serbia), August 12 (SeeNews) – Serbia is ready to purchase a Russian coronavirus vaccine if it is approved by Serbian health authorities, president Aleksandar Vucic has said.
"We will be happy if the Russians have produced a vaccine earlier than expected. But our scientific teams need to approve it," Vucic said in a video file posted on the YouTube channel of Tanjug news agency on Tuesday.
Serbia is ready to negotiate with anyone on the supply of COVID-19 vaccine, as it would be a crucial factor for its economic recovery, Vucic said.
Russian president Vladimir Putin said on Tuesday that Russia has become the first country in the world to approve a vaccine for the novel coronavirus (COVID-19). Health authorities around the world, however, say the vaccine has yet to complete larger clinical trials to determine its safety and effectiveness.
Last month, Vucic said Serbia will receive the first COVID-19 vaccines in late November or early December. Serbia is in talks with representatives of two countries for the purchase of the vaccine and will need to pay about 500 million euro ($587 million) to acquire it, Vucic said back then.
($ = 0.851884 euro)