TEHRAN — In a post on his Instagram on Sunday, Iran’s ambassador to Moscow said that Russia itself is suffering from a shortage of vaccine, therefore they cannot export vaccines to any country.

Kazem Jalali said after his meeting with Igor Morgulov, the Russian deputy foreign minister, he discussed various issues such as vaccines, the issues pertaining to Iranian merchants and students. 

“Regarding the vaccine issue that I raised with him, he acknowledged that there is a shortage of production in Russia and because of this shortage, no vaccine is currently sent to any country, and after improving the vaccination process in his country, Russia will fulfill its obligations. the diplomat underlined.

“They will be committed to it,” Ambassador Jalali added.
 
“It should be borne in mind that we are in the process of joint production (of vaccine) with Russia, and this process is a step forward for the Islamic Republic, and in the end, I asked him to discuss the issues with Mr. Lavrov in this regard. They explained that Mr. Lavrov and the prime minister and other relevant bodies are fully aware of the commitments made and will soon fulfill them,” Jalali remarked.

He said that during his meeting with Morgulov, he had a wide-ranging discussion about the entry of students and businessmen to Russia. 

“In these discussions, he said that we have three criteria and Iran does not fit into these three criteria, and we update these criteria day by day, and when Iran has these standards, we will naturally pave the way,” he wrote on his Instagram.

Jalali said that on the issue of students, some universities are consulting with the Russian Ministry of Higher Education about their application to study in Russia, and that the ministry should send requests to the Russian headquarters to combat coronavirus. 

“We are currently holding intensive consultations with universities. Iranian students can follow up this request through their own universities,” he added. 

As for the Iranian merchants, Jalali said that the Russian officials explained to him that in any case the embassy should take notes of those who need to import the vaccine.

“We will inform Iran’s coronavirus headquarters and the request will be examined there,” he added. 

“I would also like to remind you that some people say why do you raise the issue with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs; to them I say in the Russian system, embassies must do everything through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and in coordination with the ministry,” he added. 

Jalili also said that the meeting was of utmost importance and constructive because Morgulov is a member of the Russian Coronavirus committee. 

“He promised me that in his first visit to the Coronavirus headquarters, he would seriously consider the arrival of our dear compatriots,” the diplomat highlighted.
 

SA/PA