HCMC – The United States will provide continued support for Vietnam to gain access to Covid-19 vaccines through various channels, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said during a telephone conversation with Vietnamese Minister of Foreign Affairs Bui Thanh Son on May 28.
Blinken praised Vietnam for its response to Covid-19 and said Vietnam could access vaccine supplies, including 80 million doses that the United States had earlier committed to provide to other countries, through the COVAX Facility with the support of the World Health Organization and the United States’ partners, the local media reported.
In addition to 60 million doses of AstraZeneca’s Covid-19 vaccine that the United States had shared earlier, the United States has also decided to share an additional 20 million doses of Covid-19 vaccine, including Pfizer, Moderna and Johnson & Johnson.
Meanwhile, the Vietnamese Government has a plan to buy 31 million doses of the Pfizer vaccine this quarter.
The U.S. Secretary of State also congratulated Son on his new post as Minister of Foreign Affairs, affirming that the U.S. Department of State would coordinate with the relevant agencies to boost the United States-Vietnam relationship.
Blinken congratulated Vietnam on its successful role as ASEAN Chair 2020 and committed to helping Vietnam fulfill its missions as a non-permanent member of the United Nations Security Council for the 2020-2021 term.
The United States attaches much importance to and backs the central role of ASEAN and expects the two sides to continue enhancing their cooperation over issues of mutual concern, contributing to peace, stability, cooperation and development in the Asia-Pacific region and the world as a whole.
For his part, Minister Son congratulated the United States on its success in fighting the pandemic and thanked the country for helping Vietnam to deal with the pandemic, especially accessing Covid-19 vaccines.
The two sides also celebrated the strength of the U.S.-Vietnam Comprehensive Partnership, according to a brief statement posted on the website of the U.S. Embassy in Hanoi.
