Russian President Vladimir Putin called on the G20 countries to accelerate the process of countries' recognition of national coronavirus vaccines and vaccination certificates.

He stated this, speaking at the plenary session of the G20 summit.

The Russian leader drew attention to the fact that all countries in need still cannot get access to vaccines and other vital resources.

The reason for this, Putin called unfair competition, protectionism, as well as the unwillingness of a number of states to mutual recognition of vaccines.

“There is an acute issue of the World Health Organization speeding up the process of prequalification of new vaccines and drugs, that is, assessing their quality, safety and efficacy.

I am sure that the sooner all this will be done, the easier it will be to resume global business, including the most affected tourism activity, ”the Russian leader noted.

The President recalled that, according to experts, COVID-19 will pose a danger for a long time, in connection with which it is necessary to develop mechanisms for systemic and prompt vaccine renewal.

He also drew attention to the fact that Russia was the first in the world to register a vaccine against COVID-19 - "Sputnik V", which has already been approved in 70 countries around the world, and which has demonstrated high safety and effectiveness.

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“In addition to the two-component vaccine Sputnik V, Russia has created and is actively using a one-component drug Sputnik Light, which can be used, among other things, to increase the effectiveness of other vaccines.

We are working with colleagues from European countries in this regard and we offer it to our partners, ”he said.

Putin stressed that the ambitious tasks in the fight against coronavirus require improving the quality and availability of medical care in all countries, as well as increasing international cooperation in the field of healthcare.

Vladimir Putin also spoke about the need for mutual recognition of vaccination certificates on October 27, speaking at the 16th East Asian Summit.

The President noted that Moscow is ready to exchange experience on practical issues of combating infections, and also proposed to establish, under the auspices of the East Asia Summits, a regional mechanism of interaction in the fight against the coronavirus pandemic.

“Russia seeks to make a real contribution to solving the problem of ensuring free and non-discriminatory access to vaccines against COVID-19 for citizens of all states.

We are in favor of developing a procedure for the mutual recognition of vaccination certificates, without which, under current conditions, it is practically impossible to ensure the unhindered movement of citizens of our countries across the region, ”Putin emphasized.

Earlier, the press secretary of the Russian leader Dmitry Peskov noted that Russia is ready to admit foreign vaccines against COVID-19 to its market, but in the event that other states mutually recognize Russian drugs.

Peskov also said that the Kremlin expects to receive European registration for the Russian vaccine.

“Work in this regard is underway, we expect that it will be completed and our vaccine will receive the registration that it should have received, from our point of view, a long time ago,” he said.

According to him, "there are certain technological disagreements regarding the completeness of the documents submitted," the Russian Ministry of Health and other departments, as well as RDIF, are routinely engaged in this.

At the same time, Peskov stressed that "now we are talking exclusively about technical formalities."

On September 30, an employee of the EU Delegation confirmed receipt of the documents requested by the European side regarding the mutual recognition of vaccination certificates.

At the same time, the head of the Ministry of Industry and Trade Denis Manturov noted that the situation with the recognition of Russian vaccines against coronavirus infection in the West is an element of competition.

“Until Pfizer closes a certain part of the market, this is a pure economy,” said Manturov, commenting on the lack of agreements on mutual recognition of vaccines.

At the same time, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov noted that "there are various reasons" for which an agreement has not yet been reached.

According to him, there are objective grounds regarding the reconciliation of the relevant procedures, but Moscow is observing a prejudice against Russian vaccines for political reasons.

“Our European colleagues do not hesitate to talk about it publicly.

But in most EU countries we see an interest in ensuring that we provide the most comfortable conditions for people-to-people contacts.

I hope common sense will prevail, ”the minister said.