Ambassador: Turkey allows granting medical aid to Ukraine

Turkey has allowed granting medical aid to Ukraine in the context of COVID-19 and defined the procedure and requirements for obtaining export permits.

 “The procedure for granting aid to Ukraine in the context of COVID-19 has been defined. If the products are in sufficient quantity in Turkey, in particular for their own needs, and they are able to export, we have reached an agreement that we can buy these products. We constructively work with the Turkish side in this regard,” Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Ukraine to Turkey Andrii Sybiha said in a commentary to Ukrinform.

According to him, after a telephone conversation between the presidents of Ukraine and Turkey on April 1, Ankara allowed the export of necessary products to Ukraine under observance of the procedure. In particular, commercial entities – Turkish producers – should seek authorization from a designated body depending on the type of product, and then a product can be exported.

“There is a principled decision on the export of products that Ukraine needs in the context of COVID-19. We provided the lists of medical products needed by Ukraine, our regions, medical institutions in the context of COVID-19 through the Ministry of Health. There are two areas of work: humanitarian aid and procurement. The process of obtaining permits for certain types of products has already started,” the diplomat said.

In addition, a request to the Turkish business listing the products needed by Ukraine was published and already got more than a hundred reviews and suggestions.

The Ambassador of Ukraine to Turkey also informed that the Başkent University in Ankara had provided 3,500 surgical masks and 100 surgical gowns for Ukrainian physicians, which were already delivered to Ukraine and will soon be distributed to those who need them.

As reported, the presidents of Ukraine and Turkey reached a number of practical arrangements to coordinate Ukraine-Turkey efforts and cooperation to combat the coronavirus pandemic and its aftermath during a telephone conversation on April 1.

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