Morocco’s Sputnik V Vaccine Deal Stalls as Commercial Agreement Remains Unsigned

In a statement to the Spanish news agency (EFE) on March 11, Moroccan Health Minister Khalid Aït Taleb had said that "Morocco has ordered 1 million doses of the Russian Sputnik V vaccine and that "the doses will be delivered to the kingdom in two batches. The first batch in March, the second in April, depending on the availability of the Russian manufacturer." Two days earlier, he had discussed with the officials of the Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF) in the hope of finding an agreement on the terms of the commercial contract concerning the marketing of the Sputnik V vaccine.

To date, Morocco has not received any deliveries of the Russian vaccine. Contacted by Hespress, the Russian ambassador to Rabat, Shuvaev Valerian Vladimirovich, stated that the delay in delivery is due to the fact that there is no commercial agreement between his country and the kingdom, concerning a possible delivery of the Sputnik V vaccine, administered in a single dose. However, he reassured that "there are no problems or obstacles concerning the marketing of the Russian vaccine in Morocco". According to him, there are "technical and financial issues that are being resolved before the signing of the commercial contract between the two parties".

Valerian Vladimirovich also explained that many factors come into play in the marketing of the Russian vaccine in the world, particularly in terms of delivery dates and the manufacturer’s production capacity, as well as the constraints to meet Russia’s national needs.

More than 40 countries, including Algeria, Tunisia and Morocco, Egypt, Syria, Jordan, Iraq, Iran, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Pakistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan, Russia, Belarus, the United Arab Emirates, India and Venezuela have approved Sputnik V in the fight against Covid-19. The Russian vaccine is 91.6% effective against symptomatic forms of the disease, The Lancet had reported.