"Russia is open to cooperation on vaccines",  - Letter from the Russian Ambassador to Ireland Yuriy Filatov to the Editor of “The Irish Times” (April, 2021)

 

Dear Sir,

The Kathy Sheridan’s story on the “vaccine race” in “The Irish Times” on-line edition of March 31, 2021 is full of sarcasm, bitterness and grudge towards nearly everyone – the Prime Minister, the Irish people, the Russian people, the Russian President. One can understand frustration with seemingly never ending lockdowns, with the not quick enough pace of vaccination (it is indeed a difficult and complex challenge for the authorities), but why the grudge against “Sputnik V”? In fact, Ms Sheridan’s line of thinking resembles that of some EU bureaucrats, who have repeatedly in recent times derided “Sputnik V” accusing Russia of some sort of unseemly “vaccine diplomacy”. Actually, that is not entirely surprising – in some quarters in Brussels russophobia has become as contagious as the COVID-19. But at the same time it is all the more revealing – it has not just crossed the mind of these people that there might be motives for vaccine sharing other than “game playing”, or “creating disruption between EU members” and seeking “propaganda and diplomatic coups” as Ms Sheridan eloquently points out. The fact is that we do not impose our vaccine on anybody and we are not going around door to door pushing “Sputnik V”. People around the world simply know that it is an excellent vaccine and there is an interest is getting one. It would be a mistake to believe that  pandemic will be over when vaccination programme in Ireland or any other country taken alone is completed. We have to be realistic – no one is safe, until everybody is safe. I think that this is prudent and constructive way to handle the issue, assuming that the more vaccines are available, the better. Russia is open for cooperation if there is a mutual interest – this is a very simple proposition. Nothing to mock or to be upset about.

Kind regards,

Yuriy Filatov

Ambassador of the Russian Federation  to Ireland

184-186 Orwell Road Rathgar Dublin 14

 

The link to the article by Kathy Sheridan “Beacon-type entitlement evident in vaccine race” (“The Irish Times”, March 31, 2021) -

https://www.irishtimes.com/opinion/kathy-sheridan-beacon-type-entitlement-evident-in-vaccine-race-1.4524221

 

The link to the Comment by the Russian Ambassador to Ireland Yuriy Filatov, published in “The Irish Times” –

https://www.irishtimes.com/opinion/letters/russia-is-open-to-cooperation-on-vaccines-1.4528435