Lithuania on Wednesday announced that it would donate a second batch of 235,900 doses of AstraZeneca PLC’s COVID-19 vaccine to Taiwan in a gesture that reflects the warm ties between the two nations.
The shipment is scheduled to arrive in Taiwan next month. The eastern European country’s first donation of 20,000 AstraZeneca doses arrived in Taiwan on July 31.
Lithuanian Prime Minister Ingrida Simonyte said in a statement that the latest donation was part of her country’s efforts to assist other countries in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic.
Photo: EPA-EFE
“Global vaccines equity and solidarity are crucial in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic, which, unfortunately, continues to disrupt the lives of people and countries around the world,” she said.
The Taipei Mission in the Republic of Latvia, which also promotes relations with Lithuania, wrote on Twitter on Wednesday: “Even though this donation seems to be another manifestation of virtuous circle, we are still most grateful for Lithuanian double generosity.”
In Taipei, Presidential Office spokesman Xavier Chang (張惇涵) on Wednesday night said that Taiwan appreciates Lithuania’s solid support, despite the distance between the two nations.
“The warm friendship between diplomatic partners knows no borders,” he said.
This second donation of COVID-19 vaccines again displays Lithuania’s love for democracy, and its strong and warm support for diplomatic partners, Chang said.
The “circle of good” between the two nations would definitely overcome the challenges posed by the pandemic, he added.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement late on Wednesday that a trade delegation being organized by the government plans to visit three eastern European countries next month, including Lithuania, to explore bilateral commerce and investment opportunities.
The two nations are set to reciprocate representative offices by the end of this year in a show of solidarity between democracies, it said.
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