US Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman on Friday underscored the importance of India's role as a global Covid vaccine producer and applauded New Delhi's announcement to resume vaccine exports. Talking to Twitter, Sherman said that India is a crucial global leader in the fight against COVID-19.  This came as India resumed the export of COVID-19 vaccines to the neighbourhood, including to Bangladesh, Myanmar and Iran, that it had stopped earlier this year following its Covid surge. 

"As the world's largest vaccine producer, India is a crucial global leader in the fight against COVID-19. We welcomed Prime Minister @narendramodi's participation in the Global COVID-19 Summit during #UNGA and applaud India's announcement to resume vaccine exports," Sherman tweeted.

 Both Bangladesh and Iran each received one million doses of the Made-in-India vaccines. It is learnt that during several diplomatic engagements, the majority of South Asian neighbours had time and again urged India to restart the export of vaccines, ANI news agency stated. 

 India had to freeze its "Vaccine Maitri" (vaccine friendship) program in early May this year as the country was severely hit by a deadly second wave of the COVID-19. It is the last month India announced that it is reopening the export of Covid vaccines.

 India's decision to reopen exports of vaccines has been welcomed by the International community. Besides the US. the EU and Quad have appreciated India's move. (SAM)