German FM says COVID-19 vaccine research not for sale: Report

Berlin : Germany cannot allow other countries to "exclusively" acquire the results of its researchers, the country's Foreign Minister Heiko Maas told the Funke media group on Monday.

On Sunday, German newspaper Welt am Sonntag reported that US President Donald Trump had attempted to lure scientists from German company CureVac, which is researching a coronavirus vaccine, to the United States.

"German researchers play a leading role in developing medication and vaccines as part of global cooperation networks," Maas said. He has also discussed this matter with his colleagues from Canada, the Republic of Korea, Brazil and Australia, Xinhua news agency reported.

CureVac has confirmed that "internal efforts are focused on the development of a coronavirus vaccine." However, the German company abstained from commenting on speculations and "rejects allegations about offers for acquisition of the company or its technology."

"Each country tries to protect its citizens as best as possible," Maas said, adding that it is important that the measures against the pandemic are "coordinated well" within the European Union (EU) so that supply chains are not cut off.

"In the crisis, we feel more than ever how much we depend on each other," stressed Maas. "That is why we need more, not less, cooperation right now."