Need for equitable, affordable supply of COVID-19 vaccines for everyone: Qureshi

There is a need to ensure equitable and affordable supply of COVID-19 vaccines for everyone to keep them safe from coronavirus, Pakistan's Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi said on Tuesday.

Taking part in the six nation video conference led by Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi on joint response on COVID-19, Qureshi also said there was a need to discourage stigmatisation and insinuations on the origin of the coronavirus.

"There is a need for equitable and affordable supply of COVID-19 vaccines across the world as global public good," Qureshi said.

The video-conference was attended by the foreign ministers of Bangladesh, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Afghanistan, Pakistan and China.

Talking about the conference on the joint response on COVID-19, Qureshi said that it was important for all participating countries to enhance cooperation and collaboration in areas like coronavirus pandemic, poverty alleviation and disaster relief. He stressed that the pandemic was a common challenge and required joint efforts.