India Seeks to Export COVID-19 Vaccines to Arab States

Members of ground staff walk past a container stacked at the Indira Gandhi International Airport, which will be used as a Covid-19 coronavirus vaccines handling and distribution center. (AFP)
Members of ground staff walk past a container stacked at the Indira Gandhi International Airport, which will be used as a Covid-19 coronavirus vaccines handling and distribution center. (AFP)
TT

India Seeks to Export COVID-19 Vaccines to Arab States

Members of ground staff walk past a container stacked at the Indira Gandhi International Airport, which will be used as a Covid-19 coronavirus vaccines handling and distribution center. (AFP)
Members of ground staff walk past a container stacked at the Indira Gandhi International Airport, which will be used as a Covid-19 coronavirus vaccines handling and distribution center. (AFP)

India is seeking to export coronavirus vaccines to Arab countries.

Indian companies are currently producing the vaccine in accordance with the international standards, said Indian experts and observers, who are based in Dubai.

The southern Indian city of Hyderabad’s Bharat Biotech, the Pune-based Serum Institute of India (SII) and the US-based Pfizer are producing the expected COVID-19 vaccine, the German news agency reported on Wednesday.

Based on a recent government report, India has made significant contributions to the world vaccine markets, amounting to $35 billion.

The vaccines it produces make up 60 percent of those supplied to the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF).

The report said India produces 30 types of vaccines, which it provides to 140 countries, accounting for 1.45 billion doses.

Fahim Ahmed, a Dubai-based Indian strategic advisor, said: “The global, Arab and African markets need multiple options for vaccines due to the great demand.”

“Many countries cannot buy the Western vaccine or are not given priority.”

India has a large annual production capacity that is supervised by scientists in medical facilities licensed by the World Health Organization, Ahmed explained, adding that prices are low compared to other vaccines produced by other countries.

Despite all the challenges facing India, it has sought scientific advancement and development as a national strategy, he said.

India’s national program for self-sufficiency is real evidence of the its strategic capacities not only to manage the pandemic but also to expand its offerings to other countries, including neighboring countries and Arab states, Ahmed said.

Meanwhile, the Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF) and Hetero, one of India’s leading generic pharmaceutical companies, have agreed to produce over 100 million doses per year of the Russia’s Sputnik V COVID-19 vaccine in India.



Palestinian Authority at Risk of Collapse, Norway Says

Foreign Minister of Norway Espen Barth Eide attends the annual Kultaranta Talks -debate session on foreign and security policy at the Presidential Palace in Helsinki, Finland June 13, 2024. (Lehtikuva/Markku Ulander via Reuters)
Foreign Minister of Norway Espen Barth Eide attends the annual Kultaranta Talks -debate session on foreign and security policy at the Presidential Palace in Helsinki, Finland June 13, 2024. (Lehtikuva/Markku Ulander via Reuters)
TT

Palestinian Authority at Risk of Collapse, Norway Says

Foreign Minister of Norway Espen Barth Eide attends the annual Kultaranta Talks -debate session on foreign and security policy at the Presidential Palace in Helsinki, Finland June 13, 2024. (Lehtikuva/Markku Ulander via Reuters)
Foreign Minister of Norway Espen Barth Eide attends the annual Kultaranta Talks -debate session on foreign and security policy at the Presidential Palace in Helsinki, Finland June 13, 2024. (Lehtikuva/Markku Ulander via Reuters)

The Palestinian Authority could collapse in the coming months, Norwegian Foreign Minister Espen Barth Eide said on Monday, citing a lack of funding, continuing violence and the fact that half a million Palestinians are not allowed to work in Israel.

"The situation is extremely dire. The Palestinian Authority, with whom we work closely, are warning us that they might be collapsing this summer," Barth Eide told Reuters.

"If it collapses, you could end up having another Gaza, which would be terrible for everybody, including the people of Israel," he added.

Norway chairs the international donor group to the Palestinians and is a backer of the PA.