Indonesia to Receive 2 Million Covid-19 Vaccines From Japan in July

JAKARTA, KOMPAS.com – Indonesia is set to receive more vaccines for the country’s Covid-19 vaccination drive, as Japan pledged to send two million doses of the coronavirus vaccine next July.

Indonesian Minister of Foreign Affairs Retno Marsudi said the vaccines will be sent throughout the month.

“We can expect to receive one million doses of the Covid-19 vaccine on Thursday, July 1. The remaining one million tons will be sent to Indonesia in the middle of July,” she asserted.

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Speaking on the sidelines of the G20 meeting in the Italian city of Matera Tuesday, June 29, Retno added that “the shipment was agreed upon following intensive communications [with Japanese Minister of Foreign Affairs Toshimitsu Motegi].”

However, she did not specify which Covid-19 vaccine would be sent from Japan to Indonesia. Retno added that her talks with Toshimitsu touched on cooperation in the field of therapeutic medicines.

Retno added that the vaccines from Japan are not the only vaccination source secured for Indonesia at the G20 meeting.

“[British Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab] has conveyed the British government’s plan to send batches of Covid-19 vaccines to Indonesia,” she announced.

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Retno pointed out that both sides are still carrying out further discussions about the amount of the vaccine or when it will be sent.

“We also touched on Great Britain’s plan to further its ties with ASEAN, as well as the preparations for the Climate Change Conference of the Parties [COP26] that it will host," she noted.

"Indonesia also reiterated that the commitments of the Paris Agreement, including the adaptation fund, should be upheld.”

Indonesia and other G20 countries touched on international cooperation against Covid-19 and global recovery from the pandemic. They also touched on improving multilateral cooperation as well as aid for Africa, as the continent is hard-hit by Covid-19.

(Writers: Rahel Narda Chaterine, Sania Mashabi | Editors: Diamanty Meiliana, Icha Rastika)

Sources: 

https://nasional.kompas.com/read/2021/06/29/11174941/menlu-2-juta-dosis-vaksin-covid-19-dari-jepang-akan-tiba-di-indonesia-bulan. 

https://nasional.kompas.com/read/2021/06/29/20185601/menlu-retno-marsudi-dapat-konfirmasi-rencana-inggris-beri-vaksin-covid-19-ke.