British PM Boris Johnson thanks India for the COVID vaccine and says, 'I have the Indian jab in my arm' | Watch Video

Source : Hindustan Times

New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi and British Prime Minister Boris Johnson prior to their meeting at Hyderabad House, in New Delhi. (PTI)

With Prime Minister Narendra Modi by his side, Boris Johnson on Friday hailed India for being the world's pharmacy as he excitedly said: "I've the Indian jab (COVID19 vaccine) in my arm, and it did me good. Many thanks to India." 

Speaking at a joint press briefing, the UK PM said: "We have discussed defence partneship. We also discussed partnership for health.. for instance Astrazeneca ... the Serum Institute, which vaccinated over a billion people against Covid. That has helped India to become pharmacy of the world," he stressed. The Serum Insitute, world's biggest vaccine maker, partnership with British-Swedish giant AstraZeneca to develop the Covid vaccine.

#WATCH I've the Indian jab (COVID19 vaccine) in my arm, and it did me good. Many thanks to India, says British PM Boris Johnson in Delhi pic.twitter.com/LiinvUCACB

— ANI (@ANI) April 22, 2022

He also thanked India for a grand welcome: "My friend prime minister Narendra Modi, I would like to thank him... my khaas dost (special friend). We've had a fantanstic two days in India. I became the first conservative prime minister to visit Gujarat, the birthplace of Narendra. It is also the ancestral home of almost half the British Indians. I had an amazing reception. I felt like Sachin Tendulkar. My face was in big cutouts like that of Amitabh Bachchan. It was fantanstic." 

The India-UK ties have never been as good as this before, the British PM had said earlier in the day as he was recieved by PM Modi at the president's house. 

The two world leaders touched upon a gamut of issues, including the Ukraine war, Indo-pacific ties, defence cooperation among others.