This Tuesday Chancellor Jorge Arreaza emphasized the need to have in mind the mechanisms for the distribution of the vaccine in countries of the region subject to blockades and unilateral coercive measures, such as Venezuela, where the English company AstraZeneca, responsible for the vaccine project, was of the first to depart the country as a result of illegal US sanctions.
The information was released during a videoconference of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC), in which the ministers of People’s Power for Foreign Relations and Health of Venezuela, Arreaza and Alvarado, respectively, participated and where in turn, the Governments of Argentina and Mexico presented the experimental vaccine project against Covid-19.
In this regard, he ruled: “There must be some type of anti-blocking mechanism within the scheme that is presented with the vaccine in order to guarantee it to be of universal access for all Latin Americans and Caribbean people”, as insisted Chancellor Jorge Arreaza.
Likewise, he also asked to clarify how the development of the vaccine is linked to the Covax Fund, the World Health Organization and the Pan American Health Organization and its rotating fund.
During his speech, Chancellor Arreaza congratulated the initiative of the two countries, highlighting that “these are moments of Latin American unity. Our peoples deserve our union beyond any difference and ideological position. We must have tolerance and maturity to protect our community, which is very important and is a value that goes beyond any political position”.
In this regard, he stated that Venezuela joins the initiative of Mexico and Argentina, together with the private sector: “We want to be present in all the processes,” he said, while expressing that solidarity should characterize the path undertaken by the CELAC regarding the vaccine.
Similarly, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Venezuela, Jorge Arreaza, proposed to consider the production capacities of all member countries and the technology transfer that must accompany the process, “essential to strengthen health systems and address the future in this matter”.
The head of Venezuelan diplomacy also explained that the other vaccine options against COVID-19 that are being developed, such as the Russian Sputnik V project and the scientific capabilities of the People’s Republic of China, should be considered.
For his part, Marcelo Ebrard, Secretary of Foreign Relations of Mexico, asserted that “Latin America will have its vaccine” against Covid-19 and that the cooperation that makes it possible translates into saving lives; Meanwhile, Felipe Solá, Chancellor of Argentina, said that it is a Latin American project for Latin Americans, which generates self-esteem in the region and hopes in the medium term to overcome the disease caused by the new coronavirus.
The vaccine project is spearheaded and directed by the AstraZeneca laboratory along with the University of Oxford. Argentina will be in charge of its production, while packaging will take place in Mexico.
