ANKARA

Turkish Vice President Fuat Oktay said Monday that another domestic COVID-19 vaccine candidate will begin Phase 1 trials this week. 

"We have received the news that the vaccine candidate, developed by Prof. Dr. Osman Erganis from Selcuk University, has completed the pre-clinical studies and will begin Phase 1 trials. God willing, the Phase 1 trials will begin on Wednesday," Oktay said in an interview with online channel Yozgat Camlik TV.

Noting there are currently 18 domestic vaccine studies for COVID-19 and that seven of them are promising, Oktay added that among those seven studies, four vaccine candidates’ clinical studies are being carried out.

Oktay also said that another vaccine candidate which was developed by Prof. Dr. Aykut Ozdarendeli from Kayseri Erciyes University will soon begin Phase 3 trials, which is the final phase.

Regarding the decision of the Constitutional Court of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) on Quran courses, Oktay said the announcement of the decision in the first days of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan did not have good intentions in terms of timing.

He underlined that as a result of intense consultations with TRNC President Ersin Tatar, Prime Minister Ersan Saner and relevant ministers, there will be no interruption and the courses will continue.

He stated that in the past, the Turkish nation suffered from the misinterpretation of laicity, which should be applied as the guarantee of the beliefs of the nation, adding they will not let the same thing happen in the TRNC.

Touching on recent developments regarding the TRNC, Oktay said that now there is a dimension that sides can discuss a solution on a platform based on the sovereign equality of the two states.