Jakarta (Indonesia Window) – The Indonesian Minister of Foreign Affairs has urged the Russian government to support the fulfillment of vaccine needs in the Southeast Asian region by prioritizing the ASEAN countries as recipients of the Russian vaccines.

Indonesian Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi made the statement when chairing a virtual ASEAN-Russia Special Ministerial Meeting along with her Russian counterpart, Sergey Lavrov, on Tuesday (July 7).

"The increase in COVID-19 cases, the emergence of new variants, and the global vaccination gap are reminders that the ASEAN and Russia should work harder together in dealing with the pandemic," said Minister Retno in her opening speech.

"But on the other hand, efforts to maintain peace and stability in the region should still be a major concern," she added.

In addition to prioritizing the ASEAN to obtain Russian vaccines, Minister Retno also encouraged Russia to do doses-sharing (vaccine sharing), and explore joint production of vaccines with the ASEAN member countries.

Russia has registered two vaccines against the coronavirus, namely Sputnik V and EpiVacCorona.

Sputnik V has been legalized in 67 countries since its registration in August 2020.

The Indonesian foreign minister also invited the ASEAN and Russia to jointly strengthen support for the COVAX Facility, negotiate the TRIPS Waiver, strive equal access to vaccines, and reinforce health resilience in the region.

COVAX is the only global initiative involving governments and manufacturers to ensure that COVID-19 vaccines are available worldwide for both high- and low-income countries.

TRIPS (Trade Related Intellectual Property Rights) waiver is a temporary removal of copyright for COVID-19 vaccines and treatments.

The collaboration with Russia is expected to increase regional independence in developing the health and pharmaceutical industries, and research, as well as strengthening the early prevention system in the ASEAN.

"ASEAN and Russia also have a responsibility to strengthen WHO (World Health Organization) and the global health order to anticipate the emergence of pandemics in the future," said the Indonesian FM.

Reporting by Indonesia Window