The European Union should allow people vaccinated with Russia's Sputnik V to apply for the bloc's COVID-19 certificate to travel across Europe, Governor of Italy's southern region of Apulia, Michele Emiliano, told Sputnik on the sidelines of the St. Petersburg Economic Forum (SPIEF)
ST. PETERSBURG (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 02nd June, 2021) The European Union should allow people vaccinated with Russia's Sputnik V to apply for the bloc's COVID-19 certificate to travel across Europe, Governor of Italy's southern region of Apulia, Michele Emiliano, told Sputnik on the sidelines of the St. Petersburg Economic Forum (SPIEF).
The European Commission is currently considering easing entry for those who received COVID-19 vaccines approved by either the EU regulator or the World Health Organization.
"I really hope that Russian tourists who have received the double dose of the Russian vaccine can be added to the list of countries. Of course, we really hope that this will take place because for us, it is very desirable and the tourism from Russia has done a lot of good in the last few years," Emiliano said, adding that EU travel rules are particularly complicated when it comes to Russian tourists.
The official also expressed hope that travel to the province's coastal city of Bari stopped by the arrival of COVID-19 would rebound next summer, as this year there are still many problems with regulating safe international travel.
The governor went on to express the southern region's readiness to produce the Russian vaccine at local sites, noting that though diplomatic relations between Moscow and Rome are currently strained, this is a purely economic issue.
"I think it is a commercial economic question because our diplomatic relations are not at their high in this time. There is a tension in the bilateral relations. However, I would be satisfied if we could produce the Sputnik vaccine in Apulia. If the authorities will give us a permission," Emiliano said.
According to the official, Apulia residents will welcome the possibility of being vaccinated with Sputnik V, which is known for its good quality.
"We also have our eyes pointed towards a new Russian vaccine," he added.
This year's edition of SPIEF is taking place in-person from Wednesday through Saturday at St. Petersburg's ExpoForum Convention and Exhibition Center. The Rossiya Segodnya International Information Agency, the umbrella media organization that includes such brands as Sputnik, RIA Novosti, InoSMI, and Baltnews, among others, is an official media partner of the country's major economic forum.
