Australia Provides Support For Procurement Of Indonesian Vaccines Worth Rp812 Billion

DOK VOI / Menlu Retno Marsudi

JAKARTA - Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi said the Australian government would provide support for the procurement of a COVID-19 vaccine for Indonesia worth Rp812 billion.

Retno said that the support for this vaccine cooperation was one of the topics of discussion in the communication between her and the Australian Minister of Foreign Affairs. Finally, the communication took place on July 7, 2021.

"The Australian government has committed to provide support for the procurement of vaccines for Indonesia worth Australian dollars 77.1 million (worth Rp. 812 billion) which will be channeled through UNICEF," said Retno in a virtual press conference, Thursday, September 2.

Today, continued Retno, Indonesia also received 500 thousand doses of AstraZeneca vaccine from Australia with a dose sharing scheme.

"The arrival of the AstraZeneca vaccine is the first delivery of the Australian government's plan to provide support for 2.5 million doses of vaccine by 2021 for the Indonesian people through a bilateral mechanism," he said.

Then, to strengthen the comprehensive strategic partnership between the two countries, which was formed in 2018, Indonesia and Australia plan to hold a 2+2 (two plus two) meeting in the near future.

This 2+2 meeting is a meeting between the Ministers of Foreign Affairs of Indonesia and Australia, as well as the Ministers of Defense of Indonesia and Australia.

"In addition to the ministerial level, efforts to strengthen cooperation in handling COVID-19 are also very intensively carried out at the highest leadership level of the two countries. President Jokowi and Prime Minister Scott Morrison regularly hold telephone talks and the last one was held on June 24, 2021," said Retno.