VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

Mar. 10 - Russia’s Sputnik V vaccine against COVID-19 could be produced in western Europe after a deal to make it in Italy was signed by Moscow’s RDIF sovereign wealth fund and Swiss-based pharmaceutical company Adienne.

The agreement, which will need approval from Italian regulators before production can be launched, has been confirmed by both RDIF, which markets Sputnik V internationally, and the Italian-Russian chamber of commerce.

Kirill Dmitriev, RDIF’s head, told Russian state TV his fund had also struck deals with production facilities in Spain, France and Germany to produce Sputnik. He did not provide details.

It is the latest indication that some companies could press ahead with plans without waiting for the European Union’s regulator -- the European Medicines Agency (EMA) -- to grant its approval to Sputnik V.

Scientists said the Russian vaccine was almost 92% effective, based on peer-reviewed late-stage trial results published in The Lancet medical journal last month.

Sputnik V has already been approved or is being assessed for approval in three EU member states - Hungary, Slovakia and the Czech Republic. EU officials have said Brussels could start negotiations about a possible agreement to buy vaccines if at least four members request it.

ITALIAN BREAKTHROUGH?

The Italian-Russian chamber of commerce said on Monday that the Italian move paved the way for the creation of the first Sputnik V production facility in Europe outside Russia.

It said there were plans for Italian production to begin in June and that it hoped that 10 million doses of Sputnik V could be produced there by the end of the year.

"This agreement is the first of its kind with a European partner,” Vincenzo Trani, head of the chamber, said in the statement. “It can be called a historic event, which is proof of the good state of relations between our countries and shows that Italian companies can see beyond political differences.”

The Lugano-based Adienne Pharma & Biotech did not immediately respond to a request for comment. RDIF declined to provide further detail on the deal beyond confirming it.

The Italian industry ministry has played no role in the deal between RDIF and Adienne, a government source said, adding the ministry had not even been informed of the operation, which is “legitimate” and “in line with market dynamics”.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said the Italy-related plan could help quickly satisfy demand for the shot abroad.

An EMA official urged EU members last week to refrain from approving Sputnik V at the national level while the agency was still reviewing it, prompting the vaccine’s developers to demand a public apology.

Peskov called the EMA official’s comment “inappropriate at the very least”.

A spokesman for Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi said Rome was not applying particular pressure on the EU to secure the approval of Sputnik V. He said Draghi had urged the bloc to pursue all possible options to secure vaccines approved by the EMA. (Reuters)

Mar. 10 - European Council President Charles Michel on Tuesday rejected charges of “vaccine nationalism” levelled against the EU, saying that while Britain and the United States have outright bans on exports of COVID-19 shots, the EU had not stopped exporting.

The EU has found itself under fire at home for a vaccine roll-out much slower than those of former member Britain or the United States, and abroad for so far doing less than China, Russia or India to supply vaccines to poor countries.

Last week it annoyed vaccine buyers abroad by endorsing an Italian decision to halt a shipment to Australia.

Britain had a quick retort for the comments by Michel, who represents the 27 European Union member states, saying it has not blocked the export of a single COVID-19 vaccine.

“Any references to a UK export ban or any restrictions on vaccines are completely false,” a UK government spokesman said.

In a lengthy statement Michel laid out a defence of the bloc’s strategy. He said that without Europe, it would not have been possible to develop and produce several vaccines in less than a year, and EU solidarity had ensured that poorer countries of the bloc received their first doses.

He took aim at the “highly publicised” supply of vaccines by China and Russia to other countries.

“We should not let ourselves be misled by China and Russia, both regimes with less desirable values than ours, as they organise highly limited but widely publicised operations to supply vaccines to others.” Michel also noted that China and Russia had both vaccinated fewer people at home than the EU.

“Europe will not use vaccines for propaganda purposes. We promote our values,” he said.

Michel also defended a system to control the export of doses produced in EU countries, invoked by Italy last week to block a shipment of AstraZeneca shots to Australia.

“Our objective: to prevent companies from which we have ordered and pre-financed doses from exporting them to other advanced countries when they have not delivered to us what was promised,” Michel said. “The EU has never stopped exporting.”

He said the EU would become the world’s leading vaccine producer in the coming months and was the best equipped to adapt vaccine output quickly to virus mutations.

The British government’s rebuff of Michel’s comments came at a time of growing tensions between London and Brussels following the completion of Britain’s exit from the EU at the end of 2020.

Relations strained by years of bruising talks over Brexit took a turn for the worse in January when the EU briefly threatened to use emergency measures to stop coronavirus vaccines going from the bloc into Northern Ireland, a British-ruled province bordering EU member state Ireland.

“This pandemic is a global challenge and international collaboration on vaccine development continues to be an integral part of our response,” the British government spokesman said. (Reuters)

Mar. 10 - U.S. President Joe Biden will participate in an online meeting on Friday with the leaders of Japan, India and Australia, the White House announced on Tuesday, the first leader-level meeting of a group seen as part of efforts to balance China’s growing military and economic power.

White House spokeswoman Jen Psaki said the meeting of the “quad” countries indicates the importance Biden places in U.S. allies and partners in the Indo-Pacific region.

She said she expected a range of issues facing the global community to be discussed “from the threat of COVID, to economic cooperation and, of course, to the climate crisis”

India’s Foreign Ministry said the leaders would address “regional and global issues of shared interest, and exchange views on practical areas of cooperation towards maintaining a free, open and inclusive Indo-Pacific region.”

It said the summit would also cover supply chains, emerging and critical technologies, maritime security, and climate change.

The United States is looking to strengthen ties with key allies as China takes an increasingly assertive foreign policy approach in the Indo-Pacific region and elsewhere in the world.

India has urged the other Quad members to invest in its vaccine production capacity, in an attempt to counter China’s widening vaccine diplomacy.

The Indian statement said Quad leaders would discuss ongoing efforts to combat the pandemic and explore “opportunities for collaboration in ensuring safe, equitable and affordable vaccines in the Indo-Pacific region.”

Friday’s meeting will take place days before U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin plan to visit Japan and South Korea later this month.

The visit by Blinken and Austin will be the first to the Asian allies by the top U.S. foreign policy and defense officials since the Biden administration took office in January. (Reuters)

Mar. 10 - Indonesia’s Maritime Affairs and Fisheries Ministry has procured two new modern patrol vessels to strengthen its capability to protect the country’s marine and fisheries resources from illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing activities.

The patrol ships — Hiu 16 and Hiu 17 — will be deployed for routine patrols in the Malacca Strait and North Natuna Sea, director of fleet monitoring and operations at the Maritime Affairs and Fisheries Ministry, Pung Nugroho Saksono, said.

"These are our fastest ships at the moment. They can reach 29 knots," he informed at the inauguration of the Hiu 16 patrol ship in Batam, Riau Islands province on Tuesday.

The patrol ships have been fitted with drones to document efforts related to interception, security checks, and detention, besides other sophisticated and modern equipment, he said.

The Hiu 16 and Hiu 17 patrol vessels have been designed by the Agency for the Assessment and Application of Technology (BPPT) and built by PT Palindo Marine Batam, he added.

Indonesia's exclusive economic zone near the Natuna waters and its territorial waters remains vulnerable to IUU fishing activities.

In early 2020, for instance, Indonesian naval ships detected a number of Chinese coast guard and fishing vessels in the Indonesian EEZ near Natuna waters.

They drove the Chinese fishing boats out of the Indonesian EEZ while they were attempting to spread their fishing nets.

Over the past few years, the Natuna waters have drawn the attention of national and international media, with Chinese coast guard vessels and fishing boats repeatedly violating Indonesian EEZ rights.

On December 19 and December 24, 2019, Chinese vessels were found escorting scores of Chinese fishing boats to poach in Indonesia's EEZ near the Natuna waters.

In August, 2020, the Maritime Affairs and Fisheries Ministry detained two Vietnamese-flagged fishing vessels for illegally poaching in the Indonesian Territorial Waters and Fisheries Management Area 711 in Northern Natuna.

The ministry's Hiu 03 patrol ship, led by Ardiansyah Pamuji, stripped the vessels that were allegedly conducting fishing activities by using pair trawl gear.

The first ship was headed by Lam Van Tung and manned by 17 Vietnamese crew members, while the second ship was headed by Lam Van Toan and had five Vietnamese crew members on board. (Antaranews)