India names Bangladesh to be a priority recipient for COVID-19 vaccine

Indian Foreign Secretary Harsh Shringla in Dhaka on August 19, 2020, informed that India will supply the COVID-19 vaccine to neighbouring country Bangladesh on a priority basis once it gets the nod and mass production starts.

During his visit to Bangladesh, which is also Mr. Shringla’s first visit to the neighbouring country during the pandemic, the Foreign Secretary mentioned that Bangladesh is always a priority country for India.

The acknowledgment signals the importance of bilateral relations between the two countries. Earlier, Bangladesh was also persuaded to refuse an offer by China for conducting human trials of its COVID-19 vaccine among the Bangladeshi citizens.

COVID-19 vaccine’s role in foreign policy:

With the pursuance given to Bangladesh to refuse China’s offer of conducting trials for the vaccine on Bangladeshi citizens, it becomes clear that the pandemic and the accessibility to the possible vaccine has also been woven into the foreign policy.

Earlier, India had gained points by lifting a ban on the export of hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) to supply them to the countries with a need for antimalarial drugs. Recently, with an increase in domestic production of PPEs, India has strengthened its relationship with countries globally by supplying critical kits to the number of countries, the latest one was Lebanon.

Pursuance of vaccine diplomacy globally:

As many western countries have already declared that the vaccines they produce will only be given to their citizens, both India and China have been trying on increasing their influence by promising vaccine doses to different countries, once the domestic production gets approval and starts. Apart from Bangladesh, India has also promised vaccine doses to Maldives and Bhutan.

Foreign Secretary Harsh Shringla met his Bangladeshi counterpart Masud bi Momen on August 19, after meeting Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. During his meeting with the Bangladesh Foreign Secretary, Shringla mentioned that India is going to produce the COVID-19 vaccine on a massive scale. India produces 60% of the world’s vaccines.

He further added that when the vaccine is produced, it goes without saying that our closest friends, neighbours, partners, and other countries will also be apart of that.