London, IRNA – Austrian Foreign Minister Alexander Schallenberg expressed pleasure that his government was granting one million doses of COVID-19 vaccines to Iran.

In a message tweeted by Austrian Foreign Ministry on Monday, Schallenberg said, “I am pleased that Austria is supporting the people of #Iran with 1 million doses of #AstraZeneca #vaccines against #COVID19.”

“Every shot counts in our worldwide fight against the pandemic - we cannot afford any white spots on the global vaccination map,” the tweet added.

Schallenberg had said about donation of one million doses of coronavirus vaccine last week when he telephoned new Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian to congratulate him on appointment.

Austria’s Ministry of the Interior announced that a shipment of 500,000 doses of COVID-19 vaccine was on the way to Tehran.

Karl Nehammer, Austrian Interior Minister, said that helping Iran in the fight against the coronavirus is of great significance, as the country neighbors Afghanistan.

Any kind of assistance to help stability in the region is of importance, he added.

9416**9417

Follow us on Twitter @IrnaEnglish