Dominica PM lauds Modi for sending vaccines

Prime Minister of Dominica Roosevelt Skerrit has lauded his Indian counterpart Narendra Modi for sending COVID-19 vaccines to the Caribbean nation and said he never imagined that his request to India would be answered so swiftly.He said being the leader of a small Caribbean island with a population of 72,000 people, he did not fancy the chances of such a prompt positive response to his request from Prime Minister Narendra Modi.I must confess I did not imagine that the prayers of my country would be answered so swiftly.

Prime Minister of Dominica Roosevelt Skerrit has lauded his Indian counterpart Narendra Modi for sending COVID-19 vaccines to the Caribbean nation and said he never imagined that his request to India would be answered so swiftly.

He said being the leader of a small Caribbean island with a population of 72,000 people, he did not fancy the chances of such a prompt positive response to his request from Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

''I must confess I did not imagine that the prayers of my country would be answered so swiftly. One would have thought and understood that in a global pandemic such as this, a nation's size and might would have been the primary consideration. But to the credit of Prime Minister Modi our request was considered on merit and the equality of our people was recognised,'' he said at a ceremony after the vaccines arrived from India.

Last month, Skerrit had requested Modi to send vaccines so that his country could begin the vaccination drive.

''I would like to take this opportunity to once again express my heartfelt thanks and appreciation to Prime Minister Modi, his government and the citizens of India,'' he said.