PM Modi speaks to Trudeau, assures support to Canada's vaccination efforts

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday spoke to his Canadian counterpart Justin Trudeau and assured that India will do its best to support Canada's COVID-19 vaccination efforts.

A PMO release said that the Prime Minister received a telephone call today from PM Trudeau in which the Canadian leader informed about his country's requirements of COVID-19 vaccines from India.

Expressing his appreciation, the Canadian Prime Minister said that if the world managed to conquer COVID-19, "it would be significantly because of India's tremendous pharmaceutical capacity, and Prime Minister Modi's leadership in sharing this capacity with the world".

The Prime Minister thanked PM Trudeau for his sentiments.

"Prime Minister Narendra Modi received a telephone call today from Justin Trudeau, Prime Minister of Canada. Prime Minister Trudeau informed Prime Minister Modi about Canada's requirements of COVID-19 vaccines from India. Prime Minister assured the Canadian PM that India would do its best to support Canada's vaccination efforts, just as it had done for many other countries already," the release said.

It said that the two leaders also reiterated the common perspective shared by India and Canada on many important geo-political issues.

They agreed to continue the close collaboration between both countries in fighting global challenges like climate change and the economic impacts of the pandemic.

The release said that the two leaders looked forward to meeting each other in various important international fora later this year, and continuing their discussions on all issues of mutual interest.

PM Modi said in a tweet that he had assured his Canadian counterpart that India would do its best to facilitate supplies of COVID vaccines sought by Canada.

"Was happy to receive a call from my friend @JustinTrudeau. Assured him that India would do its best to facilitate supplies of COVID vaccines sought by Canada. We also agreed to continue collaborating on other important issues like Climate Change and the global economic recovery," he said.

MEA spokesperson Anurag Srivastava had said last month that New Delhi plans to supply 10 million vaccine doses to Africa and 10 lakh to United Nations health workers under GAVI's (Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunisation) COVAX facility.

He said Covishield supplies on commercial bases are likely to take place to Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Canada Mongolia.

( With inputs from ANI )