One million doses of vaccines produced by 'Sinopharm' Chinese company arrived today in Serbia, and President Aleksandar Vucic was at the Belgrade airport to welcome the airplane delivering the vaccines.

The President underlined on this occasion that the arrival of the Chinese vaccine shipment was a proof of the exceptional friendship between Serbia and China, and announced that he would himself get a shot of this very vaccine.

In a statement for Chinese CCTV, President Vucic said that he was at the airport to show respect and share the best words on the true friendship that Serbia fostered with China for a very long time and that, in response to that friendship, Serbia received the vaccines, for which he was particularly thankful to Chinese President Xi Jinping. 

"One million doses of the Chinese 'Sinopharm' vaccines have arrived in Serbia. I wish to thank President Xi and the Chinese people", the President wrote on his Instagram profile, sharing a photo showing the flags of Serbia and China in front of the Air Serbia plane which delivered the vaccines.

He expressed special gratitude to the Ambassador of China in Belgrade Chen Bo who, as he said, made great efforts in this important endeavour and who was also there, together with the President and Minister of Health Zlatibor Loncar, to welcome the airplane bringing the vaccines shipment. 

"We were hoping for vaccines from China, but it was not something to easily expect. Both as an ordinary person and as Serbian President I am convinced in the quality of the Chinese vaccine, pending approval of the competent Serbian agency", the President said adding that he was proud that one million doses of vaccines, that would save many lives, was successfully procured from China.

He recalled that the Pfizer-BioNTech and Sputnik V vaccines were already in Serbia, now joined by the vaccines from Beijing, and that Prime Minister Ana Brnabic was already given a shot of the Pfizer vaccine, that Speaker of National Assembly Ivica Dacic and Minister of Defence Aleksandar Vulin received shots of the Russian vaccine, and that he would himself most likely get a shot of the Chinese vaccine.

"We will get the AstraZeneca vaccines next. This demonstrates the level of Serbian political leadership's competence. It is also a proof that we are not afraid to show that we foster a great friendship with China that I have not tried to hide wherever I went, but am proud of it and will continue to make efforts to develop it further", the President said in a statement for the Chinese television reporting on the arrival of Chinese vaccines to Serbia.

The President said that Serbia had yet to receive any vaccines through the COVAX scheme, and that all the vaccines procured so far for the country came as a result of bilateral agreements - with Americans for Pfizer, Russians for Sputnik V and with the Chinese.

"Fortunately, we were smart enough to work for the country and get the most out of our partners. I have the experience; I know how it goes and how much you have to fight for the country to get something. There are countries which received no vaccines at this point", Vucic said and confirmed that he and Minister of Health Zlatibor Loncar will receive shots of the Chinese coronavirus vaccine.

Chinese Ambassador to Serbia Chen Bo emphasized that Serbia and China, under the leadership of Presidents Aleksandar Vucic and Xi Jinping, were fighting shoulder-to-shoulder against coronavirus and added that it was a great honour and pleasure for her to welcome the Chinese 'Sinopharm' vaccines in Belgrade together with the Serbian President.

"The Sinopharm vaccine was officially registered in China on 30 December, and it arrived in Serbia only after 16 days. The arrival of the Chinese vaccine is part of our joint fight against the virus, and I believe it will contribute to fighting the epidemic in Serbia", said Ambassador Chen Bo on this occasion and pointed out that China was the first country in the world to promise that its vaccine would be a global public good.

Belgrade,
16 January 2021