Turkish opposition slams government for mismanaging vaccine supply

Turkish opposition slams government for mismanaging vaccine supply

ANKARA: Turkey is battling an acute shortage of vaccines as the country enters an 18-day lockdown to curb the highest coronavirus disease (COVID-19) infection rates in Europe. Despite the shortage, which is expected to last for two months, Ankara is still sending vaccines to Libya, sparking opposition anger. It claims that the ruling Justice and Development Party cannot manage the pandemic effectively. Meral Danis Bestas, group deputy chairwoman of pro-Kurdish Peoples' Democratic Party, said Turkey has been sending COVID-19 vaccines to the Free Syrian Army (FSA) militants, who have been deployed to Libya since early 2020 to fight alongside the Government of National Accord. "Even when it is impossible to get vaccinated in exchange for a fee, the limited amount of vaccines are being sent the FSA in Libya," she said. Turkey has received 28 million doses so far, and only 8 million doses are left, which does not meet the needs of those waiting for a second dose. Opposition parties have blamed the critical shortage of vaccines on the over-dependence on China. They accuse Beijing of using vaccine procurement as a bargaining chip to convince Turkey to extradite Uighurs who fled to the country. The slightest disagreement between the