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Guatemala City (AFP)
Russia will do “everything possible” to deliver the Sputnik V anticovid vaccines that Guatemala bought, the Russian ambassador to the Central American country said on Wednesday, confirming that the parties are renegotiating the contract, given the delay in shipments.
“I would like to ensure that the Russian Embassy will do everything possible to facilitate and foster direct and operational contacts between the responsible Guatemalan authorities and FRID in order to find mutually acceptable solutions for the supply of the Russian vaccine to Guatemala,” said the ambassador Vladimir Vinokurov.
Via social networks, the diplomat admitted that they work as intermediaries for the renegotiation of the initial agreement of 16 million doses of the vaccine between the Russian Fund for Direct Investment (FRID) and the government of President Alejandro Giammattei.
“At the moment, both parties are negotiating a review of the contract and the search for mutually acceptable solutions,” he said.
“Regarding the shipments of the Sputnik V vaccine to Guatemala during the months of May to June, there were complications derived from the global situation of the coronavirus due to the appearance of new, more dangerous and deadly strains. This has caused a shortage of vaccines at the level world “, justified the diplomat.
A week ago, the Minister of Health of Guatemala, Amelia Flores, reported that they were considering asking FRID to return almost 79.6 million dollars paid for 8 million doses, half of the contract, if it did not comply with the delivery of the immunizer on time.
“Our proposal [a Rusia] is that what we have paid until today becomes 100% of the contract, “said Flores about the renegotiation options that they were evaluating before reaching the return of the payment, that is, closing the operation in 8 million doses and no longer in the initial 16 million.
After the controversy, last Saturday Guatemala received 200,000 doses of the Russian vaccine and a similar batch is expected to enter in the next few days, although there is no schedule for future shipments. Before that delivery, the country had received 150,000 doses.
The purchase of the Russian vaccines has drawn criticism and Vice President Guillermo Castillo, who has had open disagreements with Giammattei on the direction of the government, called for an investigation into the contract.
Guatemala, with about 17 million inhabitants, accumulates more than 305,300 cases and 9,500 deaths from covid-19. Vaccination, which began in February, is proceeding slowly and so far only 980,255 people have received the two doses of the immunizer from different laboratories.
© 2021 AFP
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