Madrid, Oct 31 (FN Bureau) Spain expects to have donated 50 million Covid-19 vaccine doses to other countries by the first quarter of next year, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said. “Spain will reach 50 million donated doses in the first quarter of 2022. But donations are not enough: we must increase vaccine production in the world and find balanced solutions to the patent debate,” Sanchez wrote on Twitter on Saturday, during the G20 summit.
Mexican Foreign Minister Marcelo Ebrard urged G20 leaders on Saturday to agree on the universal recognition of vaccines against Covid-19. Meanwhile, Chinese President Xi Jinping presented a six-point Global Vaccine Cooperation Action Initiative at the G20 summit on Saturday. The proposal envisions work on vaccine research and development cooperation and encourages to provide more vaccines to developing countries to meet the global vaccination target for 2022, as set by the WHO.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday held bilateral talks with his Spanish counterpart Pedro Sanchez during which he invited Spain to invest in India, in areas including green hydrogen, infrastructure and defence manufacturing. The meeting took place on the sidelines of the 16th G20 in Rome. Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Arindam Bagchi in a tweet said: “PM @narendramodi met Prime Minister of Spain @sanchezcastejon. “Invited Spain to invest in various sectors in India including green hydrogen, infrastructure and defence manufacturing.” The Prime Minister’s Office in a tweet said that both leaders held fruitful talks on ways to deepen ties: “In Rome, PM @narendramodi met the Prime Minister of Spain, Mr. @sanchezcastejon. “Both leaders had fruitful talks on ways to deepen ties between India and Spain. “The two nations are cooperating extensively in areas such as trade, energy, innovation and more,” it tweeted.