DHAKA,  – Foreign Minister Dr AK Abdul Momen today said a strong global political commitment is needed to build strong partnership among the nations for ensuring universal access to COVID-19 vaccine.

“We need a big partnership … we need a political commitment to help each other (for ensuring access to vaccine),” he said after receiving vaccine with a numbers of foreign diplomats stationed here at Sheikh Russel Gastro Liver Institute and Hospital at Mohakhali here.

The foreign minister said Bangladesh is among the only 30 to 35 countries in the world that have COVID vaccine now due to farsighted leadership of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. “Still there are a numbers of even developed countries those are yet to get access to Covid vaccine,” he said. As per directive of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, the foreign minister said Bangladesh government had started the vaccine hunting campaign across the world much before the inoculation was developed.

“We will give vaccine to all our people … no one will be left behind,” he said. Among the diplomats British High Commissioner to Bangladesh Robert Chatterton Dickson was vaccinated today. On February 10, the government launched the Covid-19 vaccination campaign for foreign diplomats while over 30 diplomats got vaccinated on the opening day.

The foreign ministry official sources said all around 1,200 foreign diplomats stationed in Bangladesh will be vaccinated gradually. Bangladesh launched a countrywide mass Covid-19 vaccination drive on February 7.