The Prime Ministers of the Republic of Moldova, Georgia and Ukraine addressed a joint letter to the President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen, referring to the cooperation with the European Union in the field of access to COVID-19 vaccines. The three states asked for the European Commission’s assistance in including the Eastern Partnership countries in the EU vaccine distribution mechanism, IPN reports.

According to the Government’s press service, the three officials noted that vaccination at the current stage remains the key instrument in ensuring the population’s health and in preventing economic recession caused by pandemic restrictions. Welcoming the delivery of lots of vaccine doses through the COVAX Facility and bilateral channels, the officials underlined the importance of enjoying the possibility of purchasing vaccines directly from producer countries or partner countries so as to ensure the sustainability and efficiency of the vaccination process.

Also, they asked to consider the possibility of applying the support mechanism that were recently used in the case of the Western Balkans in relation to the EaP countries as this will enable to ensure a sufficient quantity of vaccine doses during a reasonable timeframe.

According to the Government, the three associate countries highly appreciated the solidarity shown by the EU with the counties from its Eastern neighborhood within the Team Europe initiative owing to which the assistance needed for supporting the health systems was delivered and economic support measures were offered.

The joint letter forms part of the efforts to step up cooperation in the field of European integration and the Eastern Partnership between the three countries that signed Association Agreements and the European Union.