25 January 2022
The United Arab Emirates (UAE) will contribute one million Sinopharm Covid-19 vaccine doses to Malaysia this year.
The aircraft carrying the first 500,000 doses landed in the Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) earlier today.
The chargé d’affaires of the UAE Embassy in Kuala Lumpur, Nouf Ibrahim Ali Rashed AlKuwaiti, handed over the vaccines to Foreign Minister Datuk Saifuddin Abdullah at the airport today.
Saifuddin extended his gratitude and appreciation to the Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi, Sheikh Mohamed Zayed Al Nahyan, and the UAE Embassy in Kuala Lumpur for the generous contribution.
“This contribution by the UAE signifies an important milestone and strong relations between the two brotherly countries.
“The UAE’s assistance to Malaysia, particularly the vaccine contribution, will greatly complement Malaysia’s efforts in addressing the Covid-19 pandemic,” he told reporters at KLIA today.
He said the UAE had previously donated 20,000 units of antigen rapid test kits (RTK-Ag) to Malaysia in March 2020.
The UAE, he said, also contributed seven tonnes of hand sanitisers in May 2020 that were specifically made for Wisma Putra’s ‘diplomatic frontliners’ serving in Malaysia and Missions abroad.
Meanwhile, Nouf Ibrahim said the second batch of vaccines to Malaysia will arrive in the next two weeks.
“Since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic, the UAE has always regarded Malaysia as a close friend and ally.
“We hope this donation will further enhance Malaysia’s efforts to combat the pandemic,” she said.
The UAE is currently Malaysia’s largest trading partner in the Middle East and West Asia regions with bilateral trade volume valued at USD$5 billion last year.
During the recent floods that hit the Peninsular, the UAE was also the first country to render humanitarian assistance to the victims through the Emirates Red Crescent.
Source: www.nst.com.my
Site Search
Did you find what you are looking for? Try out the enhanced Google Search: