Russian Ambassador To Ankara To Meet Turkish Health Minister Over Sputnik V Procurement

Russian Ambassador in Turkey Alexey Yerkhov said on Friday that he is set to meet Turkish Health Minister Fahrettin Koca to ascertain whether Ankara intends to procure Russia-developed Sputnik V vaccine, Sputnik reports.

"I am planning to meet with the Minister of Health one of these days. We will dot all the letters. And I really hope that following this meeting it will be possible to share more specific information," Yerkhov said in an appearance on Russian state broadcaster Rossiya 24.

There have been conflicting media reports about Ankara's plans regarding the Sputnik V vaccine, with some publications saying officials have ruled out procuring.

Yerekhov said that upon reaching out to health authorities, he was assured that Turkish media outlets had taken statements out of context.

Turkey has reached an agreement with China to secure 50 million doses of the Sinovac which is currently under development.

Turkey's epidemiological situation has drastically worsened over the past month, shooting up to nearly two million confirmed cases of COVID-19. The country has been logging around 30,000 new cases daily since late November, while 17,620 people have died so far.