Brazil President Jair Bolsnaro thanked Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi after receiving two million doses of the COVID-19 vaccine. In his tweet, the Brazilian President shared an image that depicted Lord Hanuman carrying a mountain with vaccines and a syringe from India to Brazil.
The image is inspired by a tale from the Ramayana epic. In this tale, Lord Hanuman carries a mountain to deliver magical Sanjeevani Booti to save the life of Lakshman.
– Namaskar, Primeiro Ministro @narendramodi
– O Brasil sente-se honrado em ter um grande parceiro para superar um obstáculo global. Obrigado por nos auxiliar com as exportações de vacinas da Índia para o Brasil.
– Dhanyavaad! धनयवाद pic.twitter.com/OalUTnB5p8
— Jair M. Bolsonaro (@jairbolsonaro) January 22, 2021
Namaskar, Prime Minister @narendramodi
Brazil feels honoured to have a great partner to overcome a global obstacle by joining efforts.
Thank you for assisting us with the vaccines exports from India to Brazil.
Dhanyavaad! धनयवाद
— Jair M. Bolsonaro (@jairbolsonaro) January 22, 2021
Modi responded to Bolsonaro’s tweet and said how it is India’s honour to be Brazil’s partner in tackling the COVID-19 pandemic. Modi tweeted, “We will continue to strengthen our cooperation on healthcare.”
The honour is ours, President @jairbolsonaro to be a trusted partner of Brazil in fighting the Covid-19 pandemic together. We will continue to strengthen our cooperation on healthcare. https://t.co/0iHTO05PoM
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) January 23, 2021
The historic moment in the India-Brazil relationship was acknowledged by India’s Ambassador to Razil Suresh Reddy. Speaking to a news agency Readdy said how this was a historic moment for relations of the two countries.
According to a press release by CSMIA, “The Covishield vaccine, manufactured by the Serum Institute of India, departed from Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport (CSMIA) carrying 2 million doses to Brazil via Emirates Sky Cargo and 2 million doses to Morocco on Royal Air Maroc.”
Brazil has so far registered 2,14,147 deaths because of COVID-19 and it has the second-highest death count in the world after the US. The number of total infected people in Brazil stands at 86,97,369.
Even in the COVID-19 pandemic, India has stood true to its “neighbourhood first” stance. Earlier last week, India chose Maldives and Bhutan as the first two countries to be given the COVID-19 vaccine under grant assistance.
Bhutan received 1,50,000 Indian-produced COVID-19 vaccine and Maldives received 1,00,000 vaccines. Apart from the COVID-19 vaccine assistance, India also released Rs. 501 crore for the reprioritized projects to meet the challenges faced to the Royal Government of Bhutan.
The official Twitter account of the US Department of State for Bureau of South and Central Asian Affairs (SCA) acknowledged India’s significant role in battling the global pandemic.
We applaud India’s role in global health, sharing millions of doses of COVID-19 vaccine in South Asia. India’s free shipments of vaccine began w/Maldives, Bhutan, Bangladesh & Nepal & will extend to others. India’s a true friend using its pharma to help the global community.
— State_SCA (@State_SCA) January 22, 2021
