Passions for Sputnik vaccination: A.Veryga urges not to confuse science and politics, Ž.Pavilionis – schizophrenia

If Lithuania does not sacrifice public health for political reasons and how should we view the Sputnik V vaccine, as a drug or as a geopolitical tool. 15 minutes On the “Versus” program, we spoke with the chairman of the Foreign Affairs Commission of the Seimas Žygimantas Pavilionis and the former Minister of Health Aurelijus Veryga.

Prime Minister Ingrida Šimonytė, and later the presidency, announced this week that Lithuania will not buy the Sputnik V vaccine, even if its use is allowed in the European Union. The country promises to vaccinate with vaccines developed in Western countries.

According to A.Veryga, a large number of agreements with Western manufacturers allow us to hope that there will be enough vaccines in Lithuania.

Putin doesn’t really care about the lives of the citizens of his own country, much less his neighbors. It remembers them, kills and plants those people.

However, according to the former minister, when it comes to using the Russian vaccine for geopolitical purposes, Moscow has already won in many ways.

“It doesn’t matter what happens to the vaccine at the European Medicines Agency now, whether it is approved or not. If it is approved, it will be said that we have developed a very effective vaccine. (…) If it had not been registered, it would also be He would have said that he had not registered because Russia does not support him as a country, he sees something in him or something like that, ”said the parliamentarian.

The former minister argued that if Lithuania still runs out of Western vaccines, the country should consider buying Sputnik V, even if it was a major political defeat.

“If it was a matter of life and death, I think the country should take it very seriously,” Veryga said.

Parliamentary Ž.Pavilionis even rejects such a presumption. According to him, Lithuania cannot afford to justify “Putin’s conquests and Putin’s imperial policy” on its behalf.

“Putin does not really care about the lives of his own citizens, much less his neighbors. He remembers them, kills and plants those people,” the politician said on the program.

He also says that Russia has yet to gain anything in the geopolitical war on vaccines.

“It just came to our notice then. She won only as much as we ourselves say she won. (…) We have enough vaccines, enough brains, infrastructure and institutions to ensure that transatlantic unity and the safety of our own citizens,” said Pavilionis .

Ask that science and politics not be confused

A.Veryga said that although he agrees with the opinion of Ž.Pavilionis, we should speak of the vaccine as something medical and “not go down to the same level that Putin goes down.”

“Colleague Sigismund, if you say that Western vaccines are rotten, bad and inappropriate, (…) let’s not say that the vaccine is unconventional or similar, that belief or disbelief is not proven by politicians but by scientists,” he said.

Science need not be confused with certain political tools.

“Lithuania is not obliged to use it, but this does not negate the importance of the vaccine itself or the need of its own people,” added the Seimas member.

In response, Ž.Pavilionis stated that some politicians in Lithuania “look at these issues so closely that they don’t see the full context.”

“Understand, dear ones, (…) Russia is conquering our minds at the beginning. When our mind conquers, it is time for the territories. Let us not give in to that,” said the politician.

Veryga reiterated his understanding of Russia’s aspirations to use the vaccine as a geopolitical tool, but argued that there were things that should not be confused.

as we separate Kirkorov from regime or lives and medicine from everything else, we no longer see the whole. This is the schizophrenia that the regime wants.

“It is not necessary to confuse science with certain political tools. Even the same weapon that is created by scientists does not deny that science, but then it is used for something bad,” said the former Minister of Health.

“As with this vaccine. (…) What must be understood, it is not only Russia that should be vaccinated, all countries must be vaccinated for the pandemic to stop, because people are moving and people come to us from both. Russia and other countries. I’m talking about that, “he said.

Ž.Pavilionis kept his.

“The main instrument of the Kremlin is to divide and rule us, and not just territorially, in our brains. If we separate Kirkorov from the regime or the lives and medicine from everything else, we will no longer see the whole. This is the schizophrenia that he wants. regime ”, summarized the parliamentarian.