COVID-19 Diplomacy: India To Take At Least 60 Heads Of Foreign Missions To Facilities Of Vaccine Makers In Hyderabad

In a major boost to the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA)'s COVID-19 diplomacy, Ambassadors and envoys from a large set of nations are set to visit Hyderabad based biotech companies on coming 9 December as the Government looks to aid partnerships for manufacturing and delivery of vaccines, reports Times of India.

This gains significance as Prime Minister (PM) Narendra Modi has repeatedly emphasised that the nation's stellar vaccine production and delivery capacity will be used to help all of humanity to fight the pandemic.

The visit would involve the heads of foreign missions from at least 60 nations, and their visit to the facilities of vaccine manufacturers Bharat Biotech and Biological E would be a follow-up to 6 November briefing when they MEA had taken to the task of appraising the envoys about India's progress on the vaccine development front and its management of COVID-19 pandemic. The briefing effort was led by nation's top diplomat, Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla.

It should be noted, given India's formidable position as the world's largest vaccine manufacturer, many nations, especially developing ones are looking for assistance from India to get the doses once they are available.