At UNGA, Bhutan, Nepal express gratitude for India's supply of COVID-19 vaccines

Under the Vaccine Maitri initiative, nearly 95 lakh doses have been supplied to Nepal and 5.5 lakh doses to Bhutan

Bhutan and Nepal on Monday expressed gratitude and appreciation for India at the U.N. General Assembly for its "heartwarming goodwill" and "valuable support" in the supply of COVID-19 vaccines under New Delhi's ‘Vaccine Maitri initiative' that enabled the neighbouring countries to vaccinate their populations as the pandemic raged across the world.

Bhutan's Foreign Minister Lyonpo Tandi Dorji, in his address to the high-level 77th Session of the United Nations General Assembly Monday, said that as with many other parts of the world, Bhutan was not spared the impacts of COVID-19 nor its induced disruptions.

"Our campaign to vaccinate our population has been recognised as an unlikely success story, and today, more than 90% of our entire population stands fully vaccinated. This, in no small measure, was possible due to the heartwarming goodwill of friends and partners, including India, whose Vaccine Maitri initiative enabled the full first round of vaccinations for our adult population," Mr. Dorji said in his address from the UNGA podium on the last day of the General Debate.

Bhutan also expressed gratitude to the United States, Denmark, Bulgaria, Croatia, and China, "whose generosity with vaccines came at the most critical time". "We also thank all the other bilateral partners and multilateral agencies that supported logistics and provided financial support, medicines and equipment for our response to the pandemic. Our success would not have been possible without all of your support," the Bhutanese Foreign Minister said.

Nepal's Foreign Secretary Bharat Raj Paudyal also expressed appreciation in his address to the General Assembly for the vaccines provided to his country by India.

"In Nepal, we have been able to fully vaccinate 96% of the target population, with almost everyone receiving at least one dose. We thank our immediate neighbours - India and China, our development partners, and the United Nations System for their valuable support," he said.

Under the Vaccine Maitri initiative of the Indian government, more than 250 million COVID-19 vaccine doses have been supplied to over 100 countries, including nearly 95 lakh doses to Nepal and 5.5 lakh doses to Bhutan.