09.09.2021.

President Vučić lays foundation stone of new vaccine factory

Today, the President of the Republic of Serbia Aleksandar Vučić, together with the Ambassador of China to Serbia Chen Bo, CEO of Group 42, Peng Xiao, CEO and managing director of Mubadala Company and member of the Group 42 Board of Directors Khaldoon Al Mubarak and Vice President of the Chinese National Biochemistry Group, Yang Hui Chuan, laid the foundation stone of a new “Sinopharm” Covid-19 vaccine factory in the suburb of Zemun called Soko Salaš.

The ceremony marking the beginning of an important joint project of the Republic of Serbia, the People's Republic of China and the United Arab Emirates, was attended by Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defence Nebojša Stefanović, PhD.

President Vučić expressed pride in the fact that Serbia is not a country that will wait for a solution to the problem at the back, relying on someone else’s help and charity, but a country that seeks and finds solutions to some of the regional and global problems.

- We dared to be brave, responsible and serious, to raise the bar high, to tell ourselves that we don't have to wait for someone else’s vaccines, that we can have a Serbian vaccine factory. Today, the construction of a new, Serbian vaccine factory begins, here in Zemun, and we will supply not only Serbia, but many countries in the region, many European countries, with this product and I believe we will save many lives - said President Vučić and thanked the President of the People's Republic of China Xi Jinping and the Crown Prince of the United Arab Emirates Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan for the support and friendship.

President Vučić announced that by the end of March 2022, Serbia will have its first vaccine-filling plant, and it will be able to go into the market as early as April. He added that the factory will produce 30 million vaccines a year, with a total capacity of 40 million vaccines.

- People must know that this is something new for Serbia, something we haven’t had so far at this level. Also, they should know that, when we complete the second phase by 2023, an active component will be produced here, a substance used in the vaccine itself. We will be among the first countries in the world to have the opportunity to change the content of the vaccine, together with our Chinese and Emirati partners, and among the first countries in the world to share new scientific discoveries with the people and make people even safer and the quality of vaccines even better. That gives us countless opportunities in the future - said the President of the Republic of Serbia.

The new vaccine factory will bring new jobs to Serbia. According to President Vučić, about 300 employees will work in the factory, and in addition to laboratory technicians, a large percentage will be highly educated staff.

President Vučić expressed hope that with the support, help and collaborative work of vaccine factories, they will become a regional miracle and Serbian pride.

- This is what makes you proud of your country, your citizens. This is what remains after you. This is what changes reality and brings a better quality of life to people - President Vučić pointed out.

The companies in charge of building the new Serbian vaccine factory will be the same ones that successfully and efficiently built three Covid hospitals in our country, said President Vučić and called on the representatives of those companies to do this job quickly and to the highest standards, so that in approximately six-months’ time, the first production facility can be opened and the first phase of vaccine filling and production completed, and the second phase of construction can be completed in a years’ time.

Vice President of the Chinese National Biochemistry Group Yang Hui Chuan said that China, thanks to the accelerated construction of production facilities in that country, as well as cooperation on the construction of international research and production bases, has become the largest manufacturer and supplier of Covid-19 vaccines in the world. He expressed hope that collaboration with Serbia would play a key role in the global fight against the pandemic and that the construction of the vaccine factory would meet high standards.

The CEO of Group 42 Peng Xiao says he is proud of participating in a project that will further strengthen Serbia's reputation as a leader in the fight against the pandemic and a country that helps neighbours and the wider community. He also points out that the company he represents is willing to share knowledge with partners so that they can respond to healthcare challenges together.

In his address via video link, Liu Jingzhen, Chairman of the Sinopharm Group, noted that "Sinopharm" is the largest Chinese company dealing with health protection and at the same time the largest and strongest company in Asia and the second largest pharmaceutical company in the world. According to him, the construction of the "Sinopharm" vaccine factory in Serbia is a new model of international cooperation and joint fight against the pandemic. He thanked President Vučić and the Government of Serbia for their support.

According to the Ambassador of the People's Republic of China, Chen Bo, thanks to the cooperation between Serbia, China and the United Arab Emirates, this project has been launched successfully and this cooperation is proof that only together we can defeat the pandemic.

The CEO and managing director of Mubadala Company and member of the Group 42 Board of Directors Khaldoon Al Mubarak said that today the foundation stone was laid for a plant that would produce millions of vaccines annually and protect lives and help Serbia, Europe and the global community to overcome the coronavirus pandemic. According to him, the construction of the factory is proof that it is possible to build global partnerships and investment relationships around common challenges and common opportunities.

Minister of Health Zlatibor Lončar, Mayor of Belgrade Zoran Radojičić, Deputy Mayor of Belgrade Goran Vesić and the director of the "Termomont" company Dejan Burčul also attended the foundation stone-laying ceremony.