Covid-19: UAE sends aid flight to Iran to support fight against coronavirus

The United Arab Emirates on March 16, announced that it sent two aid planes carrying critical medical supplies to Iran to support the latter's efforts to combat the coronavirus, Covid-19, disease.

The two aid aircraft, which took off from Abu Dhabi on Monday, contained over 32 metric tonnes of supplies, including boxes filled with thousands of pairs of gloves, surgical masks, and protective equipment.

The flight is the second humanitarian delivery facilitated by the UAE to Iran in recent days. On March 3, the UAE carried out a coronavirus aid mission to Iran in collaboration with the World Health Organisation, WHO, by dispatching a UAE aircraft carrying 7.5 tonnes of medical supplies and five WHO experts to help 15,000 healthcare workers.

The initiative came within the framework of the UAE's cooperation with countries experiencing an outbreak of Covid-19 in order to strengthen global efforts to curb the virus' spread.

Commenting on the aid delivery, Reem bint Ibrahim Al Hashemy, Minister of State for International Cooperation, stated, "The UAE's efforts in carrying out a second medical aid flight to Iran are consistent with our country's founding humanitarian principles, which guide our belief that providing life-saving assistance to those experiencing distress is essential to serving the common good."

"The coronavirus crisis has affirmed the effectiveness of the UAE's aid approach, wherein the leadership and people stand shoulder-to-shoulder with nations in their time of need," Al Hashemy continued.

Following the initial Covid-19 outbreak in Wuhan, the UAE provided medical supplies, including facemasks and gloves, to China.

In Afghanistan, the UAE dispatched an urgent medical aid shipment containing 20,000 testing units and equipment to examine thousands of people.

The aid flights also follow the UAE's Homeland of Humanity Initiative, wherein the UAE evacuated 215 people of different nationalities from China's Hubei Province to the Emirates Humanitarian City in Abu Dhabi. The individuals, who were evacuated on 4^th March, are currently receiving the necessary medical attention prior to their return to their home countries.