Armenia is ready to buy a new batch of Russian Sputnik V vaccine, Armenian Health Minister Anahit Avanesyan said at a meeting with Russian Ambassador Sergey Kopirkin and the Adviser of the Russian Embassy Pavel Kurochkin.

During the meeting the parties discussed the directions of cooperation achieved within the framework of the sitting of the Armenian-Russian intergovernmental commission between the Ministries of Health of the two countries.

Anahit Avanesyan attached importance to the regular Russian support to Armenia – including vaccines, laboratory-diagnostic equipment, and mobile diagnostic-therapeutic clinics.

The Armenian-Russian health conferences, which are held annually in Moscow and Yerevan, play an important role in the development of bilateral relations, she said.

Minister Avanesyan thanked Russia for its invaluable assistance in the fight against the new coronavirus (COVID-19), emphasizing that it has actively cooperated with its Russian counterparts over the past year.

“Close cooperation with the Russian side, regular information and exchange of experience are very important for us, and today our specialists are actively negotiating the purchase of the Russian Sputnik V vaccine,” the Minister said.

In this context, she noted that the Ministry of Health of the Republic of Armenia has signed a cooperation agreement within the framework of the COVAX FACILITY initiative, but Armenia is ready to acquire additional batches of Russian Sputnik V vaccine within the framework of this initiative.