June - Bulgaria Donates Protective Equipment against the Coronavirus to Iraq’s Medics
19 June 2020 News
A Bulgarian donation of 550 protective equipment sets - clothing, goggles and helmets - for the frontline medics responding to COVID-19 was handed to the Iraqi Medical Association in Baghdad.
This humanitarian aid was part of the assistance for 12 countries that Bulgaria has provided to the Western Balkans and the Eastern Partnership and the Southern Neighborhood at a total value of BGN 636,150. It was granted at the initiative of Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Ekaterina Zaharieva and was funded under the official development assistance allocation to the 2020 budget of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
“The decision of the Bulgarian government to send this donation is an expression of solidarity with the people of Iraq, with which Bulgaria has maintained friendly relations for a very long time,” the acting head of Bulgaria’s mission, Valentin Nikolov, said. He handed the donation to the Chair of the Iraqi Medical Association, Dr. Ahmed al-Hiti.
Iraq’s representatives thanked Bulgaria, noting that medics were in dire need of this assistance. The protective equipment was earmarked for epidemiologists in Baghdad, Basra and Sulaymaniyah, who are on the frontline in the fight against the coronavirus. The protective equipment was manufactured by Bulgarian companies in compliance with the highest standards: the clothing is suitable for multiple use and is made of a special light fabric that allows ventilation and provides maximum comfort and protection to medics.
The ceremony at the Iraqi Medical Association was attended by members of the National Operations Center with the Office of the Iraqi Prime Minister and by representatives of the Iraqi Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Bulgarian donations of protective equipment against the coronavirus have already been handed to the Republic of North Macedonia, Albania, Kosovo, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, Serbia, the Ukraine, Moldova, Armenia and Georgia.